My Father's Daughter
by Kelementis
Summary: Did I want to hold my daughter? Did I want to feel her hand around my finger? Did I want to surround her?Protect her? Love her? More than anything else in the world,' he thought. But what happens when Pup wants her own adventures? What will Inuyasha do?
1. The Newest Beginning

A/N: Please be advised that I'm writing this purely for fun! Flames are more than welcome—in fact I could use some advice on what to work on if my characters become too OOC and such. Also, just so there is no confusion, I want to be clear that this story will be written in the first person of MANY POINTS OF VIEW! Be sure to note who is speaking before you read! Please please PLEASE drop me a review when finished reading! I am NOT above begging! Thanks so much to those of you who have the courage to read my horrible writing! Until later!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Dammit.

talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

Chapter 1: I Am the Last of a Beginning

**INUYASHA'S P.O.V.**

I looked down at my hands, clenching and unclenching my fingers, noting how rough and broken the skin over my palms was. I usually didn't retain scars thanks to my quick healing abilities, but if I _were_ able to keep marks, I could feel where they would be. I could feel the underlying burns on my wrists from where villagers tied me up as a pup and beat me to the ground. I could still feel the soreness in my cuticles from where dozens of my claws had been ripped off in battles. And I could still smell the blood of my enemies underneath my fingernails, though the evidence was long gone. Hands like these should never be able to hold anything as precious as a child.

"Inuyasha…would you like to hold your daughter?" Kagome asked. She was smiling faintly, exhausted from her long hours of labor. Her raven hair was glued to her brow with sweat, and I could tell her eyelids were growing heavy, drooping lower and lower over her chocolate orbs. Snuggled into the crook of her arm was a tiny, wiggling bundle, which coincidentally was also gurgling its displeasure at having to stay still. They were the perfect picture of love at that moment. And I was scared to death to ruin it by holding that bundle.

I looked at Kaede who nodded her approval at my approach. She smiled and mouthed 'congratulations,' then marched to the door to leave my mate and me in peace. However, on her way out, I heard her whisper softly so only my super-human hearing would hear, "Good luck Inuyasha. She's a mischievous little thing." I smirked, but otherwise ignored her comment. All that mattered now was that Kagome and my pup were safe. I crawled over to where Kagome lay, and started to settle myself behind her—using her body as a barrier between the curious little bundle and me, but I was stopped by a hand on my wrist.

Using what little strength she had, Kagome held the child up to me. I glared at my mate, trying to make her understand. Did I want to hold my daughter? Did I want to feel her hand around my finger? Did I want to surround her? Protect her? Love her? More than anything else in the world. More than I wanted the ability to **breathe**! More than I wanted to **live!**...but I couldn't. Not with these horrid, nightmarish hands. Her skin was too soft, too warm, too **pure** to ever be touched by me…a killer…a creature…a…a—'_WHEN DID THAT WENCH DO THAT?!'_ I looked down to find the tiny figure of my daughter cuddled to my chest, already in my arms. Kagome had given her to me without me even realizing it. I looked from my pup to my mate, slightly annoyed that she had outwitted me. She only smiled, and closed her eyes. Minutes later, I heard her slow, even breathing. She was asleep.

The pup however, was far from dreamland. She was wiggling, clutching and unclutching fistfuls of air, whimpering and pouting in a look that was all too familiar, though she had yet to open her eyes. I knew that look. I **invented **that look. That was **my **look. **My **pout. Feh. Pup thinks she can fool the master? Pup thinks she can melt my heart? Pup thinks…pup…aw hell. She was just too damn cute. It was impossible in that moment to deny her **anything** she wanted. "Shhhhh. Hush, Pup. Quit squirming. I'll be here when you wake, just sleep." But that damn runt wouldn't stop! As a matter of fact, she enhanced her whimpers, her voice raising an octive or six. Her eyes were still tightly shut, and her mouth opened wider to produce her first baby scream. It was then that I noticed the tiny, almost invisible fangs that protruded from her gums. However, I didn't have time to admire them. I had to stop the kid's wails or else Kagome would wake.

"HEY! Pup! Shut up! You're gonna get me in trouble!" Shifting her to one arm, I pointed an accusing finger at her little nose. Then the pup did something that scared me half to death. She sniffed my claw, stifled her screaming, reached up, grabbed my finger and with a little yank inserted the digit in her mouth, sucking lightly on my claw…all without even bothering to open her eyes.

I couldn't help myself. My face broke out in a smile and I chuckled. "So this is what you wanted all along, huh?" Kaede was right. She was gonna be trouble. As I watched her I felt a surge of protective instinct wash over me. I straightened my back and got up, pacing back and forth along the room. My daughter kept sucking on my finger, the whole time. Apparently she didn't care what I did, just so long as I held her and she got what she wanted. I looked down at her, now peacefully playing with my fingertips. Before I even realized I was speaking the words were out of my mouth. "I will protect you. I swear it on my father's grave, you will **always **be safe. Nothing will happen to you. I am your father and I'll be damned if anyone says otherwise. You will be strong. You will be safe. You will be good. You will be safe. You will be loved. And above all, **you will be safe.** I love you…My little Katana…"

Katana. That was her name. After all, Kagome said I could name her. Anything I wanted. I hadn't thought of what to name her until I saw her, held her, cuddled her close to my chest, heard her heartbeat strong and sound in my ears. Katana. She was perfect. Katana.

I heard the bamboo flap that covered the door move aside. I looked back to find four brown eyes staring into the room. "Hold her any tighter, Old Man, and she'll break." They roll their eyes as I growl at the very thought. "Can we see her now? C'mon quit hoggin' the pup!" Great. Now they even complain in perfect unison. Before I can answer, they drop the bamboo mat and disappear out of sight. There's nothing I wanted more than to snuggle up behind Kagome, hold Katana in my arms, and sleep. But thanks to that wonderful reminder, I couldn't. I looked down at my new pup. She deserves to see her family.

I march over to the door, my steps slower than usual lest I shake my daughter, and pull back the flap. Six sets of eyes are staring at me…no, staring at my burden. I lightly pluck my claw from her mouth, noting her annoyed gurgle and obvious snarl of disproval, and hold her out as far as I dare, still keeping a firm grip on her tiny body. I then cleared my throat. Looking down, I addressed my pup.

"Katana, these are your brothers. All six of them. They and your mother and I…we're your family. We've waited a long time for you, Pup. And believe me…none of us are that patient." I look up and glare at my sons, making eye contact with every single one of them. It wasn't until I noticed their vaguely startled looks that I realized I was growling. "Listen to me. All of you. You are not pups anymore, do you hear? I'm gonna trust you with one responsibility—and after this I will never demand anything of you again." I look down at Katana. "Protect her. Watch over her. Give up your lives if you must…make her strong. Love her. And keep her safe."

No one spoke. I don't even think any of them breathed. I looked up again and stared at my sons. I could see their chests puffed with pride, their backs straight under the weight of the burden I was placing on them. It was as if by speaking, the trance I had them under would be broken, and all of it would turn to dust. It was only after a full minute of stretched silence that Kyo, my third born, stepped forward, an awed expression on his features. "Look! Papa! Do you see her eyes!?"

All at once, our heads snapped down to peer at the creature in my embrace. Lazy, and slightly annoyed, Katana glanced up at us. I felt my breath hitch as I gazed in wonder at her beautiful eyes. The left was gold and a perfect replica of my own, reflecting courage and life and…well…trouble. The right however—the right was a deep violet, full of question and depth and wonder. My daughter…has **my eyes. **Not just my hanyou eyes. But my **human** eyes as well.

I pull back the blanket that had been covering Katana's head, trying to keep her from the cold. She gurgled a complaint, but otherwise did not move. A thick blossom of her silver hair blew in the warm spring breeze, but I didn't care. I was looking at her tiny, silver dog ears perched atop her head. I smirked. Aw, hell, I was grinning like a freaking love-struck fool. Not all of my pups had had my ears…but for some reason they just looked so **right** on her. I only had one thing to say. "Feh. We got another one."

A/N: Well there it is. Hope you liked it! Sorry if it kept switching between past and present tense…I tried to keep it consistent, but sometimes it just doesn't work. Please drop me a review! I would love feedback! Hope to update in the next week or two! Love you all!


	2. From the Get Go

A/N: Ok, so for the record, I wasn't planning on posting this for a week or two. But because of the 2 day wait to post any new stories, I had some extra time on my hands. Well, that and I didn't want to study for psychology. Ok, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! OH! And don't worry, all you Sango and Miroku lovers, there's something for you in here too.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Sad.

talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

Chapter 2: From the Get-Go…

KATANA'S P.O.V.

It had been a wonderfully lazy day. Everything was still, there had been no intruding demons for days, and my brothers had been suspiciously content to leave me in peace. I was lazing in a tree on the edge of the forest, close enough that I could smell danger and far enough away that the distractions of everyday life couldn't bother me. That was until I heard Miroku calling.

"Inuyasha! Get down from there! I have something of the upmost importance to tell you!" The voice had come from my left side, on the ground below me. Damn monk never could keep his head on straight. '_Eighteen years and he still can't tell us apart unless he sees my eyes—wait. He's on my left! If I were to open my eyes, all he would see would be the gold…if I dropped my voice just right…' _I smirked. It was time to have some fun with the monk.

I cracked open one lazy golden eye and peered down at my uncle. Putting on my best Inuyasha-ish scowl, I took a deep breath and concentrated on speaking as low as possible. "What do you want?" If Miroku noticed any difference between my voice and my father's he dismissed it. Apparently what he had to tell me was important after all.

"The next village over is being attacked. Giant worm youkai, apparently. You must go and vanquish them." His shoulders sagged just a little at the thought, and he raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. "I would go myself, but Sango has fallen ill and needs me to watch the children. I wanted to ask Katana to babysit, but she's nowhere to be seen. Have any idea where I could find her?"

I cringed inwardly. Miroku and Sango had four rambunctious children, and despite the fact that I wouldn't admit it by pain of death, I enjoyed babysitting for them. For one thing, they were the only ones who could tell the difference between my father and me. Even from a distance with my back to them. They could always tell which one was which. It was usually comforting…but not today. No, today I wanted action, and if I had to sneak around an unsuspecting monk to get it I would. The only problem was I didn't want to lie to him. How to get around his question…"You found me didn't you?" I replied.

"Yes."

"Then you can find anyone. And another thing—why should I care what happens in the next village? The shards were collected years ago, monk, in case you've forgotten." '_OK, I managed to answer his question without lying. Now if I could just distract his attention away from having me babysit…'_ I spared another glance at the ground, being careful to keep the right side of my face out of his sight.

A vein in Miroku's head had started to throb. "Buddah give me patience. The Festival, Inuyasha. The Festival. It's being held in the next village. And you promised Kagome you would go this year." Damn the Festival! I had forgotten. It was the new moon the next day, and my entire family would be human for a night, so we could sneak into the village practically unnoticed. It wasn't that the next village over didn't take kindly to hanyous, but having so many around at one time made them nervous.

At this point I realized I had two options: Either tell Miroku and my father that I impersonated him and screwed with Miroku's head, earning me a good scolding from Mama and an ass wooping from Papa (although he would probably applaud messing with the monk) or option number two, continue with the charade and get rid of the youkai myself—which quite honestly I had been planning to do from the beginning. Option number two it was. "Fine monk, fine. I'll take care of the youkai. Go home. And Miroku!" He had been turning to leave, but once again gave me his attention. "Don't tell Kagome about this. I don't want her to worry."

"More like you don't want her to know you forgot." If I hadn't had super hearing, I would have missed his snide remark. The real Inuyasha would have pounded him for that. But I let it slide. I wanted action and now I had it. Plus, if I had given him some bruises, he would have surely told Mama, and she would have mentioned it to Papa. Then I'd really be in trouble. But there was no time to ponder such thoughts. It was time for a little trip to the next village. Once Miroku was out of sight, I turned and headed east towards an unsuspecting youkai.

NOTSU P.O.V.

I watched as she scrubbed her bloody hands clean in the river, cupping her fingers and splashing some water on her face, washing away the dust and mud that had been smeared all over her cheeks and brow from fighting the worm demon. "They're gonna find out ya know. They **always** find out. You're not one of the twins, Pup. You can't keep them guessing for long." She looked at me with those eerie eyes of hers. Pure annoyance was reflected in them, but she didn't dare deny my claim.

"Back off Notsu. I don't care if they find out. I came back without a scratch, and the village is safe. I know you won't squeal on me, and Miroku thinks it was Papa fighting the youkai, so he shouldn't say anything either. The worst that'll happen is Papa will be angry and Mama will forbid me from coming to the Festival with all of you tomorrow. And we all know what a tragedy that would be." She rolled her eyes. "And if they **do** somehow find out, I'll distract them with one of the twins' secrets." She cracked her knuckles. Her ears twitched lightly atop her head. It was times like these I truly realized how much she resembled our father.

Papa and Katana were the exact same height. Both had silver hair draping down past their waists, sharp claws, fangs, and black eyebrows. Even their bangs fell in the exact same manner. When Katana smirked or snarled or frowned, she looked like a replica of Papa. If that wasn't bad enough, dog youkai are born with a second set of vocal cords to growl with, howl, all that. So of course, having this other aspect Katana's voice was lower than most girls—not unfeminine, just rich and low. When she dropped her voice she could almost pass for a man. And of course, they had the same, twitching dog ears that Mama loved to tweak. The only true way to tell them apart was Katana's one violet eye.

However, it wasn't only in physical appearance that they were alike. When they slept, both turned toward the left side—Papa did this so he could hold Mama. No one knew Katana's reason. Both were quick to anger, stubborn as asses, and courageous to a fault. It was almost as if Mama had had no part in making her daughter. She had simply been plucked from Inuyasha's soul and molded into his clone.

I scowled and shook my head. "You misunderstood me, Pup. You deserve whatever punishment you get if caught—which you will be. I'm not worried about that. I **am** worried however, because whenever **you **go down, somehow you manage to take one of **us **with you."

I held her burning gaze as her head snapped around to glare at me. She swallowed…but didn't deny it. She couldn't—it was all too true. So she settled for staring, her eyes screaming two simple words. '_F-off._'

I sighed. "Katana…he just wants to keep you safe. You're his baby…his pup. But you're **our **responsibility—"

"I don't remember **asking** to become your burden! If Papa didn't want me to fight, he shouldn't have taught me how! I will **not** sit by and watch as my own brothers find their places in this world, while I'm damned to just sit here and rot! If you don't want to be blamed for **my **mistakes, **my **injuries, **my life, **then stop trembling with your tails between your legs, grow some balls and **tell Papa to let me be!**" She was tired, I could see, but it wasn't so much from fighting the youkai. She was tired of having the same lecture, the same fight.

My heart twisted at the pain in her eyes and the fury of her words. I was the sixth born, the closest to her age. I had played with her as a child, had been coddled almost as much as she had…but unlike her, I had learned to tame my wild heart. I grew up. I took control of my responsibilities. She never had. She never would. Katana had had this same conversation with every one of her brothers, as well as Mama and Papa. But, being Katana, she fought everyone of us every time.

I clicked my claws and pinched the bridge of my nose. I had to calm myself down. I had to be the rational one in this dispute. It didn't matter who was arguing against my sister. If she was part of the fight, there was no use but to be calm, grounded, level headed, and realistic. Which is what made fights between she and Papa so ridiculous. Neither one would give in, though neither made any sense at all.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to start again. "Dearest sister, aren't you being a tad selfish? All you're thinking about is acquiring your own freedom from whoever you think is holding you down. What about us? Me, Raidon, Ronin, Kyo, Setako…we love you. But you take advantage of our authority. Please…just…at least try to behave?"

The fury in her eyes disappeared as soon as it had come, replaced only by contentment. "No promises." _'Good enough.' _I thought. I turned to leave, content with her answer, and completely spent on energy from fighting. A single, long, strand of dark brown hair blew into my face, though there was no wind. I knew looked up.

Just as I had suspected, Katana had taken to the trees, following me silently. I personally preferred walking, though jumping on the treetops was much faster. We were nearly home when she spoke. Even born with our father's exceptional ears, I still managed not to hear her. "If you have something to say, say it, Pup. I can't always read your mind."

"I said you missed one."

"What?"

"You. Raidon, Ronin, Kyo, Setako. You missed one. What about **him**, huh? What about Tamahome? Does he love me too?"

She didn't give me time to answer before she leaped in front of me and darted for the doorway of our home. _'Katana…what do you want me to say?'_ It had been over two years since we last saw our eldest brother. When he left it had not been on good terms…at least…not with the Pup. _'You are a burden, Pup. But you're __**our **__burden. And we'd be damned before we let you go.' _I sighed, watching her disappear into Mama's awaiting arms. _'But the only one who can speak for Tamahome is Tamahome.'_ Shoving all other thoughts aside, I stepped into the warmth of my family's house.

A/N: Just so you know, I'm gonna be watering down some of the language in this fic. I just like to think the story is more important than the swear words. Also, this is supposed to be a **comedy**. I know this chapter was kinda intense and frustrating, but I promise it'll get better! I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter…plenty of mischief ahead. Read & review! Loves!


	3. Brotherly Love

A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is dedicated to Lady Rini who was the first and only reviewer! You rock my socks Lady Rini! Sorry the first two chapters have been so short. Hopefully this next chapter makes up for it. Please review when you're done reading! Remember, flames are welcome!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Dammit.

talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

Chapter 3: Mischief Mine

**KAGOME'S P.O.V.**

I wrapped a bandage around Kyo's bicep. "I can't remember the last time I was this embarrassed. What were you thinking? Any of you? Do you realize you could have gotten yourselves killed?"

Simultaneously all my boys (with the exception of Kyo who remained silent) started speaking, pleading their innocence. I knew of course that there was only one to blame. But as it was, Inuyasha was out looking for her at the moment, so I was left tending to my sons. I sighed and picked up my pile of supplies, kneeling before Notsu and dabbing at his bloody split lip with a wet cloth. Sango was over in the corner preparing a numbing herb paste and Miroku was by the fire sipping tea. Kaede was watching Nikomi, Ani, Sai, and Mioma, their children, in her hut, leaving the couple free to roam around and see the festival with us. Unfortunately our evening had been cut short.

I felt terrible. Here it was, Miroku and Sango's day off without children and they were forced to leave the village and help me tend to my walking wounded boys. They said they didn't mind, but I knew better.

I felt a firm hand clap my shoulder gently. "We tried, Mama. We really tried to be gentlemen...it wasn't our fault—or hers. Those bastards had it coming. Please understand." I looked back at my second born, Setako. He was the largest of my children, being a full four inches taller than Inuyasha and having bulging muscles over every inch of his body. He had large, chocolate eyes, no claws and my nose, but otherwise looked like his father—fangs, ears and all. He, however, cut his silver hair around his cheekbones (though tonight it was ebony black), his bangs swooping to one side. Despite his rather intimidating appearance, Setako was actually the gentlest of the pack. He was really more of a big teddy bear—especially where Katana was involved. But none of this made him any less dangerous to perturb. Pinning me with a hard look he released my shoulder. "We are not sorry."

'_I know you're not, Setako. It's who you are—all of you.'_ I inspected a rather nasty looking bruise on Notsu's leg, then moved my first aid kit over to the twins. "Ok, you two. Where are your boo boos?" Raidon and Ronin smiled, letting down their outer garments and exposing their backs. What looked like thousands of paper cuts covered their spines, shallow, but obviously painful. I winced. "Sango are you finished with that?"

"Yes. Kagome I can finish the twins. Why don't you get some sleep?" Sango dipped her fingers into the green pasty goo she had been concocting and started to spread it over Raidon's back, causing him to hiss in displeasure.

"I can't, Sango. Not until Inuyasha gets back with Pup."

"Then you can stop waiting. We're here." A frustrated Inuyasha said, entering the house. His brow was etched in anger and his shoulders sagged, tense and stubborn. "Pup! Get inside. Now."

I watched as she entered, back straight and fists clenched at her sides. Her kimono was ripped and muddy, but there didn't seem to be much blood. The scowl on her face marred her pretty features and delicately applied make-up. Her hair, which had been beautifully braided and pinned with combs and chopsticks into a perfect bun, was once again wild, tangled, and completely disheveled. She looked a wreck.

The response to her homecoming was immediate. As soon as she stepped into the room, Setako, Notsu, Raidon, Ronin, and Kyo jumped up and applauded, wooping and whistling her praises. She laughed and performed a couple of sloppy bows, her bangs hiding the sadness in her eyes. Her brothers didn't seem to notice. They fell to their knees, touching their foreheads to the floor and raising their hands, shouting "Hail! Hail! Hail to the Queen of Brawl! All fall before the Empress of the Fight! Mistress of Mayhem! Hail Hail!"

Sango glared at her husband. "Miroku get up! Don't encourage them!"

"Dearest Sango I was only trying to remain in character."

"Move your hand one inch closer to my ass and you'll have to find a new way of producing children."

"No one understands me!"

In spite of myself, I started to laugh. Inuyasha looked at me, asking if I broke my brain, Katana continued to relish her praise, knowing it was the last glowing moment before a long emotional fight, my sons continued to joke, putting aside their pain for a moment to make their sister happy. And of course, Miroku retreated back to his place by the fire, a large red handprint evident on his face. I laughed again, rubbing my temples and recollecting the events of the past few hours.

_***FLASHBACK (SETAKO'S P.O.V.)***_

_**I leaned against the doorway to Katana's room, hard pressed not to laugh as she threw kimono after kimono across the floor. Her usual fire-rat haori discarded, she had carelessly thrown on a white tank top and sweat pants (compliments of our grandmother from the other side of the well) so she could change for the festival. Her frustrated grumbles were turning into whines and growls, and she seemed to have forgotten my presence. **_

"_**That's it! I'm not going! I have nothing to wear! So sad. I guess you'll all have to have a marvelous time without me. Toodles!"**_

_**I surveyed the room. There were at least 30 or 40 different kimonos littering the ground, all in assorted colors, fabrics, and designs. I picked one off the floor, holding it up to her. Midnight blue in color, with a white crane on the back, a bright orange obi, and a soft yellow undershirt, I failed to see how she could resist it. "What's wrong with this?"**_

_**She turned to me, faced flushed, brow furrowed with complete irritation, she clenched her teeth and stared at me. "Wore it last week. Reeks of spider youki. And besides that, I just don't want to wear it."**_

_**I chuckled. Katana always got more girly around our human nights. It was also no secret that she didn't want to attend the festival. "Give it up, Pup. You're going. Choose something and get ready." **_

"_**Why did I have to be a girl?"**_

"_**Could be worse. You could be one of the twins."**_

_**She shuddered. "Tell me when Papa gets home. It's too near sunset, I can't smell him."**_

"_**Fair enough, Pup."**_

_**She shut the door in my face and from what I could hear, proceeded to throw garment after garment against the wall, swearing like our father's favorite child. I walked over to where Mama was reading in the corner and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Pup can't find anything to wear."**_

"_**Then she can wear something from the future. I don't care, but she's going."**_

"_**Where are the rest of the pack?"**_

"_**At Kaede's. Sango and Miroku are dropping off their kids for the night, so the twins, Notsu, and Kyo will meet them there, then we'll all congregate here and walk over to the next village together."**_

"_**Father's not gonna be happy…it's the new moon."**_

"_**He'll live."**_

_**Cursing could be heard from the front doorway. I smirked, "Bout time you got here, Old Man. The sun's nearly down. Katana! Father's back!" I called. **_

_**Father stomped into the house, scowling at me, threatening bodily harm if I said another word. He was carrying a large, wrapped package in one hand. As his hair and my own started to darken, our ears rearranging themselves on our heads, we heard Katana's door open. **_

"_**Papa!" she cried. Launching herself at his back she latched her arms around his neck from behind and allowed him to bend over, swinging her in a circle around the room, legs flying.**_

"_**Oof! Pup! How many times I gotta tell ya not to jump on me?"  
**_

_**She slid off his back and smirked, passing a now-human hand through her thick mane of ebony hair. Clearing her throat she batted her eyes in her best daddy's-little-girl pout. "Papa I don't wanna go to the festival."**_

"_**Too damn bad."**_

_**Her pout faded, replaced with an angry grimace. Fire appeared behind her violet eyes (A/N: BOTH of her eyes are violet during the new moon.) and her shoulders tensed. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning. The good Katana was gone and the gruff, fiery, beautiful one we all knew and loved had returned. Our father usually had a hard time resisting her pleas, but apparently he had promised Mama that we would go as a family. I just hoped he was ready for her fit.**_

"_**I'm not going!" she growled.**_

"_**You don't have a choice, Pup!"**_

"_**I'm not a pup! And you don't want to go either!"**_

"_**You're going, Pup, end of discussion!**_

"_**I have nothing to wear!"**_

_**Father threw down the package he had been holding at her feet. "Feh. You do now. Change, Pup. We'll drag you there pale-ass naked if we have to, but you're not getting out of this."**_

_**Katana picked up the bundle. She sighed through her nose, knowing that it was a losing battle. Usually we knew, she wouldn't give in so easily. Perhaps it was the new moon's influence and the fact that Father had brought her a gift, but whatever the reason, Pup kept her mouth closed. Storming into her room, package in hand, she slammed her door and proceeded to curse the walls around her. **_

_**I couldn't hold back my smirk any longer. "That went well."**_

_**Father turned to me, looking up into my eyes. He hated the fact that I had surpassed him in height and growled when I bent my head to acknowledge him. "When we get to the next village she's your responsibility. I already have one wench to watch after." He yanked his chin in Mama's direction, and I rolled my eyes. He clenched his jaw for a minute, the picture of perfect seriousness. "I mean it, Tak. If anything happens to her…"**_

_**I blew my bangs out of my eyes. The only people whoever called me by my real name were Mama, Kaede and my eldest brother, Tamahome. Everyone else simply called me Tak. I had endured my father's death threats before—they came often enough when Katana was involved. "Stop worrying, Old Man. She's one girl. There are five of us, six if you include Shippo. She'll be fine. Shippo's meeting us there, right Mama?"**_

_**She shrugged. "Probably. You know him, he'll pop up when he likes. He did promise to be there though--"**_

_**Mama was cut short by Katana's frustrated scream, followed by a round of colorful curses. She made a move towards the door, but I intercepted her hand as she touched the handle.**_

"_**I got it."**_

_**Mama gave me a curt nod and stalked over to the fire to boil water for some Ramen.**_

_**Taking a deep breath, I grasped the door handle and knocked gently. "Pup, it's me. Let me in would ya?"**_

_**Behind the wood I heard a muffled "keh." Taking that as permission to enter, I opened the door a crack and squeezed inside. The floor was still littered with perfectly good clothes but a clear trail had been blazed from her wardrobe to the table and chair by her window. There she sat, yanking a brush through her dark hair, refusing to look at me.**_

_**Looking around at the dumped kimonos I sighed. All gifts from Father. He had always spoiled her the most. My brothers and I had given up being jealous of her ability to steal his attention. After all, we knew she didn't mean to get any of it. She was simply too headstrong, too stupid, too loving, too everything. Besides, the kind of attention our father gave her wasn't the kind she wanted. **_

_**I followed the trail to her side and snatched the brush out of her hands. "Stand up. Let me see."**_

_**She looked about ready to maim me, but did as I asked. The kimono fit her perfectly, as they all did. Mint green silk, it was adorned with pink sakura blossoms and a pink obi. Her undershirt was light blue, accenting the tiny blue birds that adorned the sakura tree on the back. It was times like these I actually remembered I had a sister. Who was a girl. Usually dressed in fire-rat firs, Katana almost never showed her curves or wore make-up. It was only when forced to that she agreed to present herself like the lady she truly had grown to be. **_

_**A wave of pride and protective instinct flowed through me. From the moment she was born I knew I would be forever playing the part of the proud older brother. My sister was a perfect paradox and everything I could never be. But she was still a Pup. She still had a lot to learn. And she was still my little sister.**_

"_**You don't look half bad, Pup." I said as I stepped behind her and carefully started gliding the brush through her thick tresses. **_

_**She relaxed and sighed. "I still think I make a better hanyou than a girl. I'll need to do something with my hair. And make-up is going to be a problem."**_

_**I nodded, handing the brush back to her after all the tangles had been released. "Why don't you wanna come with us, Pup? Would it really be so terrible—to spend a few hours with all the rest of us?"**_

_**She sank to her knees and glared at me from beneath her dark lashes, rubbing her temples as the stress finally made its way to her brain. "It's not that. It just feels so…fake…"**_

_**I forced an encouraging half smile for her benefit. I knew exactly what she meant. Hiding behind our human blood, dressing in finer clothes, constantly smiling. It was hard enough for my brothers or me…but Katana always had the brunt of the bulk. Getting all fancy, having everyone baby her, watching her mouth, being under constant supervision and all on her human night, where our senses were dulled and nerves were always on edge. If the festival were held in Kaede's village it would be a different story. She would be able to speak and act as she liked without worrying about the other villagers—they knew her well enough. But the next town over was expecting complete cooperation from the festival's participants. Katana wasn't simply dressing up and going to a celebration. She was bridling her very spirit; her impulsiveness, her aggression, her passion, her courage, her unparalleled joy and fire…the very things she loved about herself she could not show.**_

_**I dropped to one knee and lifted her chin with a finger. "Hey. It will be ok," I said slowly "You may even have some fun. Leave it to Big Brother Tak. You'll see." Tweaking her nose with a finger I stood up. Even with pathetic human hearing I could sense my brothers approach. "I'll send the twins in. They may be worthless, but they can do something with that monstrosity." I waved to her hair and left the room.**_

_**Everyone had arrived. I clasped Miroku's hand and kissed Sango on the cheek in greeting as I passed by. "She's almost ready Mama. Just needed some calming down. And her hair is a mess—"**_

_**Before I had even finished the sentence I saw Raidon and Ronin bounding towards her room. Reliable and dishonest as ever they scampered inside, raving to our sister about her gorgeous new outlook on life—oh wait no, they hadn't meant that.**_

_**I chuckled. The twins were Mama and Papa's only full-blooded human children. How this happened I'd rather not imagine, but I've always had the sneaking suspicion that Mama found a way to make Father's new moon nights more enjoyable. **_

_**Brown eyes, black hair, no claws, fangs, or inu ears, they were the spitting image of our mother…with our father's sharp face angles. But what they lacked in demon abilities and assets they made up for in wit, intelligence, arrogance, and speed. Possibly the smartest of us all, the twins had the greatest criminal minds of any human, youkai, or hanyou that ever lived. And they weren't to be toyed with either. Human, perhaps, but they were no less deadly than the rest of us when pissed off. Those damn numchucks could be downright painful when angled the right way at one's head.**_

_**From the very beginning of their existence they had practiced perfecting the art of riddles and loopholes in conversations, twisting a single ordinary phrase into something completely absurd and irrational. They had become experts at appearing and disappearing on a whim, sneaking out of a room or relationship faster than once could blink. They could talk their way out of nearly anything, and their charm always won over girl after unsuspecting girl. And the best part—they did it all together. They are twins after all.**_

_**All these qualities would not have been nearly as annoying, however, had they not decided long ago to acquire an apprentice, someone to whom they could pass on their knowledge and humor. And of course there was only one person they trusted with their secrets—hence their joy at gaining a little sister. **_

_**Though she was not nearly as skilled as the twins, lacking the slick tongued talent that they were obviously born with, Katana was a fast learner and a willing pupil to Raidon and Ronin's trouble. It is by their tutoring that she survived to be as wild as she is. If anything could help enhance our sister's beauty it was the quick slight-of-hand of the dreaded twins.**_

_**Kyo, my only slightly younger brother, was leaning against the back wall. When I entered he lifted his chin in my direction, a silent salute. I did the same to him. Kyo had always been a quiet boy. Those who did not know him believed him to be apathetic and numb, without any true emotion. However, this could not be farther from the truth. Kyo hardly ever spoke, and when he did, he said little—which made what he did say all the more precious to those he was addressing. Not only did he have emotions, he felt them all the more deeply. He was not apathetic, he just preferred not to jump straight to conflict or aggression. In truth, Kyo's silence was a form of upmost respect for those around him.**_

_**Appearance wise, he looked like our father, plain and simple. He had golden eyes and silver hair, though his was cut even with his shoulders, and his right fang always protruded from his smile. He wasn't Father's spitting image like Katana, but he was pretty close. The only major differences were his human ears, lack of bangs, and his height—barely five feet tall, he was the shortest and lightest of all our siblings. This always made his enemies wince—short meant small, but small could be deadly. Kyo's stealth was unmatched, silent as the grave. His opponents usually died with a quiet scream on their lips. Still, to those he loved, Kyo was well near harmless.**_

_**Just as Father was about to storm over to Katana's room, bang on the door, and demand we get moving, the door opened. The twins somersaulted out, grinning proudly as they reassured Katana that she looked perfectly presentable.**_

_**With a final word of encouragement, Katana stepped out. Her hair looked radiant, the make-up she adorned, courtesy of our grandmother in the future I was sure, was utterly perfect. She looked like an enchanted lady. We knew better.**_

_**Clearing her throat she looked at everyone gathered in the room. "Are you bakas gonna get going or am I gonna have to change again?" With that she stomped out into the cool night air, leaving all of us in her wake to follow.**_

_**The village looked amazing. Color everywhere, laughter floating through the air, lanterns and candles lit all around, kites and costumes and flowers blanketed the entire picture. Father, Mama, Sango and Miroku had gone off on their own, leaving the rest of us free to wander. I looked over my shoulder at Katana. Her head was turning from side to side, observing everything and anything that could distract her attention from having to converse with her overprotective brothers. I smiled.**_

_**Falling behind I poked her in the ribs gently. "What do you think? Is this so terrible?"**_

_**She glanced at me and sighed, shaking her head. "It's beautiful, Tak," she said reluctantly "…He would have loved this."**_

_**I frowned. I didn't need to ask who she was talking about. "Is that what this is about? You don't want to enjoy yourself…because Tamahome would have had fun?"**_

"_**No! Yes! I don't know!" She threw her arms up in irritation. "He was always trying to change me, Tak! I feel like…I feel like the very person he was always trying to make me be!"**_

_**I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. So the reason she wasn't happy, the reason she didn't want to enjoy the festival was not because of an empty wardrobe, or because she was hiding her identity—not really at least. It was a simple, petty, sibling rivalry. Her own stubbornness against our eldest brother's opinion on how a lady should act and dress. The clash of what he thought was best for her, and what she knew she deserved. It was a fight that had been raging from the moment she was born. **_

_**I gritted my teeth to keep from grabbing Katana by the shoulders and shaking her senseless. Of all the stupid, irrational reasons to get upset, she hid behind her anger at our brother. "Katana, Tamahome is not here. He can't hurt you. He wouldn't even if he was. Why do you insist on fighting him?"**_

_**She shrugged. "It's an impulse."**_

"_**More like a bad habit."**_

"_**That too."**_

"_**Let it go."**_

"_**But I could, but I should, but I won't."**_

"_**Pup!"**_

"_**Jerk!"**_

"_**Bitch!"**_

"_**Bout time you noticed."**_

_**For the first time since we arrived, I saw it. That flash behind her eyes, the sparkle that ignited her flame. A simple game of name-calling and she was back to her normal, gruff self. This was the Katana we all knew, someone playful and free. I smirked and nudged her forward. **_

"_**Move, Pup. We're falling behind. And please…try to enjoy yourself." She spared me a small half smile. **_

_**Hours passed and we finally stopped to eat at one of kiosks set up around the center of the village. Katana ate hungrily, rolling up the long sleeves of her kimono and ripping at pieces of meat with her teeth. Kyo and I bought a bottle of sake and poured a cup for each of our brothers, but didn't dare offer any to Katana. Even if it was his human night, Father was sure to sneak a whif of her breath, and if there was any liquor on it, we would all be skinned alive. **_

_**Licking her fingers, Katana stopped and looked over Kyo's head. "Look who showed up."**_

_**We turned our heads just as a carrot topped head of hair disappeared behind the crowd. "Shippo!" the twins called "Shippo we're over here!"**_

_**Being the tallest, I stood on my toes and searched, finding Shippo pushing through the river of villagers to get to us. "Damn kitsune never did have a great sense of direction."**_

"_**I heard that, Tak!" Shippo stepped forward, finally appearing beyond the mass. Bopping the twins on the head, he grinned. "Katana you look like a girl!"**_

"_**I'll pretend that's a compliment."**_

"_**It was!"**_

"_**Sure. Where have you been?"**_

"_**Watching the fi—"**_

_**I sent him a death glare and he quieted. "You've been searching for Mama, haven't you, Shippo?" I filled in. Unfortunately, our sister was not as dimwitted as she often pretended to be.**_

"…_**You were watching a fight?" she asked quietly. **_

_**Shippo's shoulders sagged, a sure sign he was ready to spill the truth. I shot him another glare, but he relented. The coward never did like lying to Katana or Mama. "There's a wrestling match going on in the village square. Winner gets a custom blade made by the local swordsmith." Shippo honestly appeared to have a weight lifted from his shoulders. My brothers all looked at one another. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, knowing fully well what was coming. **_

_**Katana's eyes lit up. The scowl that had been plastered to her beautiful face finally seemed to crack, replaced by our father's signature smirk. "Keh. Why are we sitting around here then? C'mon let's go—"**_

_**Ronin, Raidon, Shippo and Notsu all reached over, grabbing the sleeves of her kimono to restrain her arms as she started toward the center of the village. Kyo and I stood in her path. Silent as ever, Kyo looked up at our sister, lifting his chin. Though he said nothing, the expression in his eyes was clear—'**_**Don't even try it, Pup.'**

_**Katana straitened her shoulders. With a deep, patient breath she said "Get your FILTHY, SNOT-SWELLED PAWS OFF MY KIMONO!" Had we been hanyous and not humans for the night, her outburst would have hurt our ears, sending our hands flying to cover the fuzzy digits and letting her free. As it was, she was kept in a firm grip. **_

"_**Pup, be reasonable. We can't go to the fight." Notsu replied. He always had had an influence on our sister—we assumed it was because they were rather close in age. Katana had a tendency to push through whatever boundaries lied in her way, but Notsu always provided a different train of thought for her to follow. But when Katana's patience ran thin, even our youngest brother could not find a way into her brain…**_

"_**You think I care about reason? I wanna see some action!" Shaking off our brothers and Shippo, Katana took another step forward, stopping suddenly when Kyo's arm shot out to block her way. **_

_**Their eyes met, and automatically we could feel the angry fire rising in both gazes. Their auras clashed. Kyo and Katana had never truly understood one another, which had always worked out fine. They respected one another's opinions and standings, they just didn't agree. However, for some reason, out of all her older brothers Pup seemed to respect Kyo's authority the most… probably because she knew that he was the only one who actually carried out his threats against her. **_

_**Kyo and Katana almost never spoke, and spent little time together. However, I had yet to know Kyo to make a promise he did not keep—from the miniscule to the extremely serious. When he promised our father he would watch over Pup he meant it, and while he didn't get in her way often, knowing she would get what was coming to her sooner or later, when he did step in and look her in the eyes he meant life or death. His involvement meant he had run out of patience. If Katana pushed him any farther, Kyo would discipline her by taking her strait home and locking her in her room, waiting outside the door for our parents to get back…and she knew it. **_

_**None of our other siblings, including myself had that type of line drawn in the sand for her antics. And yes, Kyo knew that if he took her home, she would just sneak out. But the point was…he would bring her home. If Father arrived back at the house and saw Kyo outside Katana's doorway, he would know something had gone wrong. Not that Kyo would say anything. He would simply nod at Father and walk off, leaving Katana to do the explaining. Hence why the Pup would escape ahead of time.**_

_**Shippo looked uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to another. I blamed him. He wasn't supposed to let on there was a fighting ring at the Festival. **_

_**My gaze returned to Katana and Kyo, still staring at one another angrily. I could see the wheels in her head turning, trying to think of some way around her brother's steel set mark. Finally she blinked and turned to me. It was a defense tactic and I knew it—weaken the oldest around you and the rest may soon fall. But I had always loved seeing her squirm for an agreement. So I listened. "What if we just watched the fight? I promise, I won't get involved, and I'll stay a couple rows back so I'm nowhere near the ring. You can all come with me. I won't even speak! Notsu can even keep a grip on my shoulder in case I get out of line. C'mon, it's got to be more fun than just strolling around at night. Aren't you the least bit curious?" She flashed me one of her light-up-the-world smiles.**_

_**I sighed. Damn her. Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn. She knew we all wanted to go and were holding back because she was with us. My brothers eyed me. I saw them shrug their alliance to our sister. Apparently they saw no flaws in her plan.**_

"_**You will stay four rows back?"**_

"_**Yes."**_

"_**Notsu will keep a grip on you at all times?"**_

"_**Sure."**_

"_**And you will stay silent as the grave?**_

"_**Yes."**_

"_**And if Father is angry you're near the fight at all?"**_

"_**He won't be as long as I act like a lady and do not get involved. Besides it's a learning experience. Maybe I'll see some new moves I want to try back home on you bakas. Besides, it's not like I could put up a good show anyway in this dress."**_

_**I bit the inside of my cheek and looked into her eyes. Innocence stared back at me—innocence I had long since learned not to trust. But one thing about Katana…she didn't lie. Not to her brothers. Not to me. If she agreed to my terms…**_

_**I looked over at Kyo. He pierced me with a glare, understanding. Retracting his arm, he reached up a finger and tweaked Pup's nose, an affectionate gesture that spoke volumes—'**_**don't make me regret this…or you will.'**

"_**Alright, alright. Fine. Let's go. Notsu, keep tabs on your sister." I said. Katana , and batted her eyes.**_

"_**Thank you, Big Brother—oof!" Kyo had launched himself up in the air with a jump and landed on her back, crawling up so he was sitting around her neck, knees falling over her shoulders, he pointed forward. Pup chuckled. "You heard the little man, boys! Tally-ho!"**_

_**And with that, we started toward the village square, knowing deep down in our guts that this night was a disaster waiting to happen.**_

__

_**KATANA'S P.O.V (still in flashback)**_

_**The fight, though between human males, was actually decent. Though Notsu's hand on my arm kept me from being swallowed in the crowd, I was grateful for the chance to have some real entertainment. Kyo sat still on my shoulders, raising a fist in approval for one of the fighters. Had I not promised to stay silent, I would have been whooping and hollering my criticisms by now. But if that was the price to pay for some actual fun, then I was willing to bite my tongue. **_

_**I shifted uncomfortably for a moment. Damn these robes, the layers and layers…Notsu eyed my movements, tightening his grip slightly. I rolled my eyes. **_

_**Reaching up to place Kyo on the ground, I turned to Notsu, swatting at his hand lightly. "Let go. I'll be back in a few minutes."**_

"_**You're joking right?"**_

"_**I'm not even going towards the fight! I promised I wouldn't cause trouble, and I won't! Lay off!"**_

"_**No!"**_

"_**Damn you, Notsu if I was at my full strength I would hit you so hard right now…"**_

_**He had the nerve to scoff at me. Raising my chin with a finger, he said "Well you're not, Pup." **_

"_**Let. Go. Now."**_

"_**Do you honestly expect me to—Holy shit! You wench!"**_

_**I cranked my teeth further down on his finger (the one once holding my chin), though I did not draw blood, and released. I smirked when he relinquished his grip on my arm to massage his abused finger.**_

"_**Where do you think you're going?!?"**_

_**I felt the vein beside my right eye twitch. Why didn't anyone trust me? "I. Am. Going. To. The little. Girl's. Tree. Nosy." I ground out through clenched teeth. "Unless you want to escort me while I piss!"**_

_**Notsu winced. Easily embarrassed, he turned back the fight. "Be quick. If the others notice you're gone, my head is on the block!"**_

"_**Fine."**_

_**Since we were in the middle of the village, I had to walk to the edges of the crowds to find a place to relieve myself, and since my stupid kimono had so many layers it took longer than normal. Stupid fancy clothes…**_

_**As I was walking back to my brothers, the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand on end. I walked faster. It may have been my human night, but even weakened I could tell when I was being followed. Best to enter the crowd again and lose the stalkers.**_

_**Right as I was about to enter the crowd at the edges of the fight ring (several rows behind my brothers—I couldn't even see the tops of their heads) I gasped as a tight, sweaty hand seized my wrist from behind. My arm was bent backwards and pinned against my spine. Another hand, just as gross as the first snaked around my head and covered my mouth, silencing my scream. I tried to spin and kick outward, hoping to dislodge the creeper. But again, those damn DAMN layers of my kimono kept me from excessive movement. And my brothers wonder why I hate dressing like a lady!**_

"_**Where do you think you're going, koishii?" A rough male voice slithered in my ear. "We haven't had our fun with you yet…"**_

_**Stupid human night! If I had had my inu nose, I would have been able to smell the bastard. Better still, if I had my inu nose I would have been able to smell **_**them.**__

_**Out of the darkness behind the trees and from the weave of the crowd came several more men, each one greasier and smellier than the last. All looking at me…well, actually at my chest. I forced my breathing to be slow and even, refusing to let them know how nervous I was. Then I made eye contact with every single disgusting one of them, promising a world of pain once I got free. I just had to wait for the right moment…**_

"_**Why don't you tell us your name, pretty lady?" the one confining me slipped his hand away from my mouth. **_

'**NOW!' **_**My mind screamed. As soon as my mouth was free I let out a blood-curtling scream, driving my knee up to my chest and slamming my foot down on my confiner's toes. He yelped, a pathetic sound really, and released my wrist. Lifting my skirts I lifted my leg again and drove my heel into his balls. He cried out in pain, hands flying down to cover himself, but before he could collapse onto the ground, I bashed my fist downward to his kneecap, forcing it to bend backwards with a crack. Stupid baka fell like a rock. He didn't get back up.**_

_**I spun around. By then of course, the remaining bastards had circled around me, but appeared too stunned to come forward. Now that their comrade was beaten however, their shocked expressions twisted into hideous faces, threats practically dripping from their tongues. I held my ground. I had to.**_

_**I pounded my chest with a fist. "You want this?" I pounded again. "Come and take it, you sons of bitches."**_

_**NOTSU'S P.O.V**_

_**I paced back and forth at the edge of the crowd. Where was that stupid wench!?! I couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. And I had a pretty good guess as to who was involved…**_

_**My blood froze over as a scream sounded from the forest around the village edge. '**_**DAMMIT PUP!' **

_**Before I was able to spring forward and race toward the source of the call, my brothers and Shippo appeared out of the fray. I swallowed as Tak's concerned eyes hardened on me. He was angry…and since Pup wasn't here to take it out on…**_

"_**Where is she?" Said in a whisper, it wasn't a question. It was a command. Tak almost never spoke in that tone unless he was beyond pissed. He wasn't asking me where our sister went—he was demanding my life for hers.**_

"_**She said she was going to use the tree! She said she'd only be a few minutes—"**_

_**Before I had finished my sentence, they had already started sprinting towards her voice. I swallowed my excuses and ran after them. **_

_**Ahead, we could see a line of men, circling around something…or someone. It was then that we heard Katana's voice. "You want this? Come and take it, you sons of bitches."**_

_**One of the men cried out as he launched himself at her, arms outstretched and ready to grab her throat. He never got the chance. **_

_**One by one we pummeled them, charging at their backs and forcing their faces into the mud. I kept asking myself why. Why had I allowed her to go off on her own?! Trouble always followed Katana. Always. She was like a damn danger magnet. And the worst part? She ENJOYED being that way! Why? Why did I think that for a few measly moments, she would be alright? I collided with one of the men, ramming my elbow into his shoulder blades. I would punish myself later. Right now I needed to protect my sister.**_

_**Breaking through the chain of bodies, we circled around Katana, facing the remaining men. There had to be at least 30 of them, and more appearing out from behind the trees every moment. I looked at my brothers. "We're screwed…"**_

_**SETAKO'S P.O.V.**_

"_**We're screwed…"**_

"_**Shut up, Notsu. I'll deal with you later. Pup?"**_

"_**Thanks for finally showing up, ya assholes."**_

_**I resisted the urge to sigh with relief. She was still insulting us. Good sign. "You really messed up this time, Pup."**_

_**Katana was silent for a few moments as the bastards around us started closing in. "Tak, I…it wasn't me…I really tried…" I didn't have to turn around to know she was struggling not to get angry, to understand our frustration. **_

"_**I know Pup." I looked around us, trying to analyze how many men there were. '**_**SHIT. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!!!' **_**There were too many to handle, especially in our human forms. And Shippo's fox fire only went so far…**_

_**I bit down on my tongue hard enough to draw blood. Father was going to kill me for this… "Pup?"**_

"_**What?"**_

"_**You wanted action, right?"**_

_**I could feel it on my back. The radiation from her hot head transcended down to her smirking lips and out into the circle surrounding her. Her fire had been lit. '**_**Good luck smoldering that' **_** my mind sneered. **_

"_**Move over, boys. I got some asses to burn!"**_

_**INUYASHA'S P.O.V.**_

_**I felt it. **_

_**Sango, Miroku, Kagome and I had been wandering the streets of the village. For once, I was actually enjoying the business of the crowds. I was in the middle of filing through some kimonos for Katana. I had made a promise to myself long ago that I would spoil her just as I spoiled Kagome. My daughter would want for nothing. Ever. **_

_**It was then that I felt it. A pricking along my spine. My stomach dropped. Had I had inu ears I was sure they would have sprung up and swivled around. Only one thought resonated in my head: '**_**Pup…'**

_**I grabbed Kagome and started running, screaming at Miroku and Sango to move and keep up. I followed my instincts to the edge of the crowds to find my pack, my boys in the thick of battle, a brawl of humans fighting humans. In the middle of this chaos was none other than my Pup. My daughter. Dropping Kagome from my back I charged. No one tries to hurt my Pup and lives. NO ONE…**_

_**Time seemed to stop passing. One by one the reeking men fell to our feet. The last of them my sons left for me. I grasped the bastard by the throat, raising him off the ground and tightening my grip. "Die…live…no one cares," I whispered so only he would hear "but know that if you ever, EVER threaten my family again, I will rip you apart limb by limb." Dropping him to the ground as he gagged for air I turned and started walking back to Kagome (who was restraining a pregnant Sango), Miroku at my side. I motioned for the rest of my pack to follow. **_

_**Glancing at my boys I couldn't help but notice that Pup was not among them. She had disappeared into the forest. "Kagome."**_

_**She looked at me and I could sense her frustration. I felt the same. All my boys had torn clothes, bleeding parts, and dirty wounds. I could already smell the early stages of infection setting into their open injuries. "Miroku, take them home. Kagome, clean them up. I'm going to look for Pup."**_

_**Kagome bit her lip. "Do you think she's ok, Inuyasha?"**_

_**I scowled. "Stupid girl'll be heading back home. She'll probably be by Goshinboku. Get home, Kagome. We'll meet you there. And you," I turned to my sons. "I will deal with all of you later." I was beyond pissed. Beyond thinking they were worth my anger. Right now I had to find Pup and get home. Without looking back I bounded into the trees. With or without youkai senses, I would find my daughter.**_

_***END FLASHBACK***_

KAGOME'S P.O.V.

Katana stood alone before us. Her brothers had left, returning to the forest for a few hours while we debated on a good punishment for our daughter. Sango and Miroku remained at our home, ignoring the death glares Inuyasha sent Pup as he paced back and forth along the floor. Every once in a while he would open his mouth to speak, but seeing her face, would snap it shut with a growl and pace again.

Sunrise was just settling in. We were all tired. Katana said nothing, refusing to defend herself unless probable cause. She had had her moment of glory tonight. Now it was time to accept her fate. Finally I stood up.

"Katana get your things."

She blinked at me. "What?"

"Get. Your. Things. You will be going down the well for…for…for however long it takes to come up with your punishment! One of us will come and get you when you are to come back, but until then you stay with your Grandma, do you understand me?!?"

She swallowed. "I didn't do anything." Her voice dripped with resentment. "**They** attacked **me. **What? Did you think I was going to just stand around and get **raped?!"**

"Get your things!" I yelled.

Her messy hair flinging behind her, I watched as my daughter slammed the door to her room. I heard her gather her belongings she would need for the future. She came out of her room carrying my old yellow bag. With a final look, she sped off out the door, towards the well. Neither Inuyasha nor I followed to make sure she went. We knew she would.

I collapsed into a chair at the table. Sango handed me a cup of tea. I looked at Inuyasha who had finally stopped pacing. "So," I said. "She's your daughter more than mine. Got any ideas?"

A/N: WHEW! That chapter took me a couple weeks to write! But in my opinion at least it was worth it. I know it wasn't the funniest chapter, and it was a bit confusing switching between characters, but I needed a way to introduce everybody! So…for next time…what will Katana's punishment be? R&R please, flames welcome!

P.S. Also, "Pup" if you hadn't noticed is a nickname only used for Katana. It represents her stature in the family, how she's the last born and the most precious, as well as the most troublesome.


	4. Too Late to Apologize

A/N: Hey guys! I only have two words to say: College. Kills. I'm totally serious, midterms are insane! Also, this chapter is dedicated to Kari, my second reviewer! Thank you! Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter is a little late, but unfortunately it's not my ultimate priority. I hope you enjoy this chapter as the story (finally!) starts to get underway! Love you all! R & R please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Dammit.

talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

Chapter 4: Too Late To Apologize

**KATANA'S P.O.V.**

I threw the giant yellow monstrosity of a bag up and over the side of the well with a growl. This was the last place I wanted to be after a rough night. Stupid future with its damned smells and sounds and who knows what else!

Punching the side of the well I resisted the urge to turn the wooden ladder at my side to splinters. All the fighting the night before had been hand-to-hand, human-on-human contact. That bunch of idiots in the forest had fallen before nightfall even ended, but now that I had my strength back, I wanted nothing more than to sharpen my claws on something. Or someone. But I knew I couldn't—not in this time, with its complexities and intriquit procedures. And besides that, Granmama would be angry if I hurt anyone…and she was damn scary when she was mad.

Grinding my teeth together, I leaped out of the well, grabbed my bag, threw open the doors (setting them off their hinges) and marched to the house. '_Screw decency.' _I thought. It wasn't fair, dammit. There was no justice for plopping me here.

It wasn't that I didn't love spending time with my grandmother and occasionally my uncle. I had to visit at least once every two weeks, but I did tend to drop by more often than that on a regular basis. And I did enjoy this time as well. But it wasn't home…I didn't have a purpose in this time. Aside from Grandmama and Souta, I had nothing to prove, nothing to lose, nothing to give or forget or want or cry for, die for, live for. This time simply was…it existed.

Grandmama was washing breakfast dishes when I stomped into the kitchen. "Katana! What are you doing here so early?" She leaned over and gave me a one-armed hug, bubbles from her rubber gloves sticking to my clothes. "Dear, what happened to your kimono?! Are you alright?"

"Everyone's fine, Grandmama. The boys have a few scratches here or there, but nothing serious. We just got into a fight last night."

Her eyes sparked with a suspicious light. "I thought Inuyasha wanted you to stay away from your brothers' violence. Isn't he very serious about that?"

"Grandmama, I don't want to talk about it. I'm tired. I didn't do anything wrong. Papa's just got a stick up his—"I trailed off, seeing her fold her arms and glare at me. Usually my swearing was dismissed, but when Grandmama thought I was showing disrespect for Mama or Papa, she got angry very quickly. "It's just a misunderstanding, alright? Please drop it."

Grandmama nodded curtly and went back to her dishwashing. "There are some new outfits for you in your closet. Get out of those layers and give them to me to wash. And Katana?" I had already started up the stairs, muttering my thanks but stopped at her voice. "You didn't sleep last night did you?"

I didn't answer her. I didn't need too.

"Go to bed. When you wake up I'll draw you a long, hot bath, ok?"

"Thank you, Grandmama."

**MAI'S P.O.V**

"Thank you, Grandmama."

'_Oh, Katana. What are we going to do with you?' _I thought. Finishing the dishes, I looked out the window at the old well house. The doors had been thrown off their hinges. Again. I sighed, making a mental note to have Souta fix them the next time he came to visit.

Walking out into the yard I sat down in between two of the larger roots protruding from Goshinboku. The great tree had always brought our family peace. Even to me.

I remembered sitting there numerous times when Kagome was in the past, wondering if this was the time she would not come back. The soil around my feet was rich and thick and I often believed it was because of the tears I cried there, watering the ground. There were instances when I debated forbidding Kagome from leaving home, telling her she had to stay here and for once not put herself in dire danger. But I never did. I know my daughter. And I know Inuyasha. I feared for Kagome's safety, yes, but I also knew (probably long before they did) that to lose one was to lose the other. If my daughter never made it back down the well to the future, it meant that Inuyasha was dead as well—I knew he would give his life before allowing her harm.

When Naraku was defeated, I finally found some measure of peace—nothing to the relief that Inuyasha and Kagome must have felt I'm sure, but I no longer had to wonder how long before I could see them again. There were still dangers, of course, but nothing truly as frightening as to compare with what they had previously vanquished. When their relationship took flight and they told me about their commitments to one another, I literally sagged on the floor, laughing and crying. '_FINALLY,' _was the only word that reached my mind.

But first things first—Kagome was the protector of the Jewel. Therefore, she had to purify it and make a wish before anything might truly take place in her life. But of course she gave it to Inuyasha, keeping her promise and insisting that the wish was his decision, whatever it may be. Then he did the most selfless thing I have ever known.

He wished the well to remain open. So Kagome would never have to choose between this time or the past. He wished that all his loved ones, all those he cared about would be able to pass through. He wished his story to continue, while the magic faded. I loved that hanyou, I really did.

I looked up into Goshinboku's branches. It made me smile to think that if I really wanted to, I could jump down the well and enter a world 500 years away from my own…but of course I never did. I didn't know for sure the dangers my daughter faced, and I didn't want to know. It was better that way. But more than that was my true reason for staying in modern Tokyo—and that was that my place was here, where I raised my daughter for a good 15 years and my son for longer than that. Where I had memories and dreams, where my grandchildren could come for sanctuary and for rest. This was where I held my purpose, and here I would stay. Souta felt the same. Neither of us ever went through the well, though we knew that if we tried it would let us pass without hesitation. It was more than enough to have Kagome's children pass through.

Distantly I could hear a low hum coming from Kagome's old room. Knowing Katana, she had locked herself in there, turned on some music, and thrown all the new clothes I had bought, item by item, onto the floor, pouncing on the bed for a nap after changing. I had no problem with this as long as she picked up after herself.

When Katana was born, I knew it was time for a remodel. My daughter and Inuyasha simply had too many children to squish into a few tiny rooms during family get-togethers. I had gathered some savings and hired a contractor, telling him exactly what I wanted done. The attic had been made into a small apartment for Kagome and Inuyasha, complete with steps on the outside of the house leading up to it for a private entrance. Another small bedroom had been added on, and when Souta moved out his room became a guest room. The only thing that really stayed the same was Kagome's old room—now Katana's. Being the only girl, she needed her space away from her brothers. It had been a major project, but in the end was well worth the expense.

I'll say it again. It was worth it. It all was. The worrying, the trusting, the fear, the waiting, the patience, the faith that this was the way it was supposed to be—my daughter running around with a surly, half-wild hanyou and their friends fighting an evil this world would never know, and me here—making sure there was plenty of Ramen waiting for them when they returned. Kagome was not the only brave Hagurashi in the family. I had my own battles to win. And if my grandchildren were any indication, there would never be a 'happily ever after.'

There would only be new beginnings to come.

**INUYASHA'S P.O.V**

_***FLASHBACK***_

_**Poke. Poke. Poke, poke. Poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke POKE!**_

'**Urg. Not now…' **_**keeping my eyes closed I started to roll over, feigning sleep as tiny, clawed fingers jabbed my ribs. Finally after a few more pokes, the prodding digits stopped bruising my side. I internally smirked. Maybe now I could really get some slee—**_

"_**PAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"**_

_**I must have shot up two feet off the ground! What did Pup think she was doing, screaming in my ear like that?!? '**_**I swear that girl is gonna be the death of me…'**

_**As my breathing slowed and the ringing in my head subsided I heard her giggling beside me. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?!?!" I screamed at her. Pup merely blinked. **_

"_**You're awake!"**_

_**I jumped to my feet, glaring down at her. I had come to the meadow clearing for some peace and quiet—it was late spring, and the wildflowers were in full bloom. The air was warm and the skies were clear, after the storm the night before. No youkai had been seen in the area for days so I thought it would be safe to stretch out in the field and take a nap. I hadn't expected the real danger to be my own daughter…I should have known better than to sleep in the open… "DAMN RIGHT I'M AWAKE! Don't you EVER sneak up on me like that again, Pup! You hear me?!?"**_

_**Pup smirked—**_**'That is MY damn smirk!'—**_**and glanced up at me. "I tried waking you up the nice way…"**_

"_**POKING FUCKING HOLES IN MY SIDE IS NOT THE 'NICE WAY' PUP!"**_

_**Pup bit her lip and fell over backwards, laughing. "I knew you were pretending, Papa."**_

_**The vein above my right eye started to twitch. '**_**That's IT!' **_**I bent down to scoop a still laughing Pup up under her arms, letting her feet dangle above the ground. I lifted her to my eye level and opened my mouth, fully prepared to shout some sense into that puny little brain of hers. But then she gave me "the look"…**_

_**Damn her. Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn! '**_**That is SO NOT FAIR!' **_**Pup stared at me, desperately trying to stifle her giggles. Her eyes were fucking HUGE and her feet kicked at the empty space between the ground and her body. Tears were pricking the corners of her eyes, and her breathing came out in short huffs. She wore a crooked little grin, one fang protruding her bottom lip every time she closed her mouth. Too young to fully erect her ears, the tiny tips of the furry appendages bent forward, twitching at any passing sound. Her overalls (as Kagome called them) were scrunched over her T-shirt, and one strap was hanging limply where the clasp had been broken. **_

_**She blinked again. "What are you gonna do, Papa?" That damn little grin spread wider.**_

_**Nothing. What could I do? She was too damn cute for her own good! Naraku himself would have melted under the death-effect cuteness she was radiating! And she was so happy…It was impossible to stay angry at her when she was just bursting with so much…joy…It was just the two of us. For once. No brothers, no mate, no bad weather to keep us locked inside the house, no Miroku, Sango or Kaede, and no weapons or training (though Tessaiga was still safely belted in my hakama). When I picked her up I had fully expected to teach her a lesson, but now…I couldn't. And it was SO. DAMN. FRUSTRATING. **_

"_**Papa?" Another fit of giggles erupted from her mouth, the sound ringing beautifully in my ears. I was wrapped tightly around her little finger…and she knew it. **_

"_**FEH!" I shouted, throwing her high in the air. Her giggles were swallowed, replaced by a surprised squeal. I swallowed. '**_**What…did…I…just…DO?!?' **_**Pup didn't even know how to leap long distances like her brothers or me, let alone gain balance in the air or land! '**_**How could I just toss her away?!?' **_**She was on her decent and her scream could be heard loud and clear. My pulse increased tenfold and I jumped, catching her easily and holding her close as my feet touched the ground.**_

"_**Pup! Are you hurt? Where are you hurt, Pup?" I held her against me, running my hands up along her arms, checking for injuries, though from what I had no clue.**_

"_**Papa?"**_

"_**I'm so stupid! I swear, Pup, I'll never do that again, no matter how mad I am."**_

"_**Papa—"**_

"_**It's ok, Pup, I'm here. I'm here…"**_

"_**PAPA!"**_

_**I glared at her. "WHAT?"**_

_**She held her little arms strait out, extending her fingers and clasped and unclasped her fists. **_

_**I stared, mind completely blank. "ARE YOU FRIGGIN BROKE IN THE HEAD?!?"**_

_**Pup squirmed in my arms, sitting up and grabbing my shoulders. "Higher, Papa! I wanna go higher!"**_

"_**NO!"**_

"_**Why not?"**_

"_**Cause I said so!"**_

_**She rolled her eyes. "You also said you were stupid, Papa."**_

"_**Wait a se—"**_

"_**You also said you're right here. I'm not scared. Never was. It was fun!"**_

_**My ears drooped slightly. "You weren't scared?" She shook her head. "…I'm not always gonna be able to be here, Pup. What'll happen if I can't catch you?"**_

_**She shrugged. "I'll die."**_

_**My blood froze and I held her a little tighter. "Not funny."**_

_**She rolled her eyes. "I learn how to land. Falling is a part of flying, Papa. And I'm not afraid to fly."**_

_**I looked deeply into my daughter's eyes. She was serious. A small smile twitched at the corners of my lips. It was in that moment, that single fleeting instant that I realized how much I was truly in love with my daughter. **_

_**When I had named her Katana I had no idea what I was saying. It was just a feeling…it was just so right. Now I knew. Strong enough to endure anything that came her way, stupid enough to be brave, and beautiful enough to destroy…but with a spirit that instead chose to heal, I realized for the first time that I held in my arms the wildest creature that would ever walk the earth. She was a fighter. She was untamed. She was me. And that scared me to death.**_

_**A swift yank on the prayer beads around my neck brought my attention back down to the girl in my arms. I gulped. She was getting angry. "I'm not a stupid doll, ya know. You don't have to be so clingy!"**_

_**I smirked. "Have it your way, Pup."**_

_**I dropped my arms, reveling in the whimper that escaped her throat as she landed on her ass with a thump. "Thought you weren't afraid of falling," I teased.**_

"_**Thought you weren't afraid of Mama."**_

"_**I'm not!"**_

"_**You will be. Once she sees my pants, you're screwed, Mister." Turning around, Pup pointed a claw at her muddy butt. '**_**Shit.' **_**I thought. '**_**Kid's got a point…Kagome's gonna give me hell for that…' **_**My ears drooped imagining the sitting I was going to get. But I couldn't let the kid know she had gotten to me…**_

"_**Keh. You brought that upon yourself. Besides, it's one stupid stain, how mad can she get?"**_

_**An evil gleam that I knew all too well entered Pup's eyes. '**_**What is this twisted little runt planning?'**

_**Faster than I could blink, Pup bellyflopped on the ground, rolling around so mud and flower petals and grass caked her entire body. I stood there, completely shocked. With a giggle she rolled onto her back, looking up at me. "What if it's one BIG stupid stain?"**_

_**I hid my eyes with my bangs. Gritting my teeth I forced myself to stay calm, pushing aside my rising panic. Kagome was gonna murder me… "You've got till the count of 5, Pup."**_

"_**What?"**_

"_**1…2…" I popped my knuckles. Pup ran faster than Kouga with Shikon Shards and a fire under his tail.**_

"_**5!" I shouted. The race was on. Oh, kami was it ON.**_

_**I don't know how long we stayed in that field tackling, playing tag, tickling, chasing, rolling down the hills together. I kept trying to figure out a word to describe what I felt, how the day was, how I never wanted it to end. It was one of the best days of my life. It was just so… '**_**Perfect…'**

_**We finally collapsed together, side by side in the meadow, looking at the sky. Her breathing was labored and heart beat strong, just as mine was. I tweaked her ear.**_** ' Too damn cute.'**

"_**Papa?"**_

"_**Mmm?"**_

"_**I wanna fly…"**_

"_**No, Pup."**_

"_**But Papa—"**_

"_**No! I don't want you 'flying' anymore!" Her eyes flared up, sparking with anger and resentment at first, then grew sad, distancing herself from me. I sighed. "You don't understand, do you?" She shook her head. I raised myself on my elbows, leaning over her. I wanted her to see how serious I was about this. She deserved to understand. "I made a promise to you a long time ago, Pup. You would never want for anything, and you would always be safe. You, Pup, are more precious to me than you will ever know. If you ever got hurt…I don't know what I'd do. 'Flying' causes falling, remember? If I don't let you fly, then you can't fall. If you don't fall, you don't get hurt. Make sense?" She nodded. "Alright then. No more flying." I laid down again on my back and closed my eyes. ' **_**I never did get that nap…'**

_**A rustling sound woke me up a few minutes later. Opening one lazy eye I scanned the surrounding area for any rogue youkai, but found nothing. I sniffed the air. Still nothing. All the same I reached over to pull Pup closer.**_

_**She was gone.**_

_**FEAR**__**. Unbridled panic rose in my chest as I spun to the side, seeing the empty patch of grass where my daughter once lay. I couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but leap up as I sniffed the air frantically trying to locate my Pup. **_

"_**PUP! PUP WHERE ARE YOU?!?"**_

"_**Over here," came the calm reply. Nearly 200 yards away, she had climbed to one of the topmost branches of a sakura tree, standing near the trunk. **_

_**I wanted to run to her, scream at her for leaving my side without telling me, but my feet were rooted to the ground. Something held me still, telling me the worst part was yet to come. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?!?" I yelled. **_

_**Her answer was so soft I almost didn't hear it even with my inu hearing. Back strait, shoulders strong and chin held high, Pup looked me directly in the eye. "Flying." With that single word, she ran the length of the branch and gave a great leap, spreading her arms out wide.**_

_**Before I even knew I was moving, I was sprinting over to where I knew she would land. I had to catch her. I had to…**_

_**Jumping up in the air I reached out to grab my daughter's hand, but only met air. Predicting my move, she somersaulted in mid-fall, and dropped feet first. Half a second later, she landed firmly on the ground, if sloppily. I was at her side and in her face in an instant.**_

"_**You stupid little runt," I growled. I was beyond pissed. My heart was still beating out of control and my breath was still shallow. She had deliberately disobeyed me. And she would pay dearly for it. **_

_**I glared daggers at the top of her head. What gave her the right to scare me to death? How dare she defy me! Didn't she know she could have been killed?**_

_**She surprised me when she lifted her head. **_**'Kid has guts, I'll give her that.' **_**But what she said next was beyond anything I could ever have imagined.**_

"_**What bothers you more, Papa? That I disobeyed you or that you were wrong?"**_

_**Something within me snapped. '**_**ENOUGH.' **_**I grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, wrapping my arm around her waist and tucking her tightly to my side, face forward, legs dangling behind her. "You've gone too far this time, Pup. You hear me? TOO. FAR."**_

_**The walk home was a silent one. Still in shock, I could not believe that my little girl had the absolute, imbecilic, outright STUPID nerve to jump in the air when I had specifically told her otherwise! It wasn't until she spoke one last time that I realized while she may not have a brain, she definitely had a mouth.**_

"_**You can punish me, Papa. You can lock me up and shut me away from the sky. You can surround me with brothers. You can treat me like I'm made of glass. But it doesn't matter what I'm made of, Papa. Glass, stone, wood or metal, I will never break. Not even if I fall."**_

_**Too stunned to reply I squeezed her tight for a moment, then set her down and shoved her toward the door. "Inside. Now. You get to tell your Mama what you did."**_

_**Her punishment was being put under house arrest for a month, as well as picking up any chores her brothers forgot to carry out. '**_**That's what happens when you test me, Pup.' **_**But still something bothered me. Pup hadn't even resisted her sentencing. She had accepted it and quietly relented. So why was it I couldn't get her words out of my head? '**_**What bothers you more, Papa? That I disobeyed you or that you were wrong...'**

_**She hadn't needed me to catch her. She hadn't needed me at all.**_

_***END FLASHBACK***_

My eyes snapped open. '_That dream…' _I sat up in bed, untangling Kagome's arms from around my shoulders. I dropped my head into my hands and sighed, gulping air. It was always the same. Every time we punished Pup I would go to bed and wake up in the middle of the night from that same dream. That same memory haunted me.

The first night it replayed in my brain I woke after my hand failed to catch hers in the fall. Sweat had beaded my forehead and my breathing was labored. I spent the rest of the night in her room, watching her breathe steadily in her sleep, clutching her hand thinking over and over _'I will __**not **__lose you, Pup.'_

It was the first time she had actually made a conscious decision against my will. Sure she had caused trouble before, sneaking off with her brothers and causing chaos in her wake. But headstrong as she was, she always trusted in me to be there to save her or make it all better. She knew I would come and take all the pain away.

But then she jumped. She made a choice. She trusted in herself.

She'd been trying to fly away from me ever since.

I chuckled into my palms. '_Too damn bad,' _I thought '_I'm her father. No matter how old or strong or brave she is, she's stuck being my Pup.'_ But even as I confirmed this, I felt the slightest bit of doubt.

"Inuyasha?" a sleep drugged voice whispered beside me in the dark. "Come back to bed, baka."

"Can't."

Kagome propped herself up on one elbow. Her sleep-glazed eyes slowly focused as she waited for me to continue. When I remained silent she went ahead and filled in the answers. "It's that memory again, isn't it?" I nodded. "You know Inuyasha…sometimes I think you're too hard on her…"

My heart constricted in my chest. "Everything I do I do to protect her--"

"And no one understands that protection better than me. I remember plenty of times I ran home and screamed into my pillow because **you** were being to overprotective. Not to point out the obvious, but Katana isn't human. She can hold her own pretty well. And besides…you've saved her time and time again. She trusts you…like I do."

I threw the covers off of my body and stomped to the window. "You just don't get it do you?! It doesn't matter how many times I save her. All it takes is once when I'm a little too late to lose her forever!" My shoulders sagged as Kagome slowly got up and reached out to me, putting a hand on my arm and brushing the bangs from my face. "It doesn't matter how many times I save her. It doesn't matter if I'm her hero or not. It doesn't even matter if she's still alive…she's growing up…I'm losing her."

I watched as Kagome's eyes grew wide with understanding, her startled gasp as the realization finally hit her. "You're not afraid of losing her to a demon…you're afraid of losing her to time…"

I wrapped my arms around her and buried my nose in her hair. Even after all these years, her scent still had the ability to sooth me. "You always say how Pup is exactly like me, Kagome. But you're wrong. She's stronger. We have no control—"

"I know. How is it that no matter how short a lease we have her on, Katana still manages to be the most wild, free person we've ever known?" Kagome shrugged and looked into my eyes. "Tell me Inuyasha, when are you going to look at your daughter and realize she's **you?**"

"When you look at her and realize she's **not. **She's **Pup."**

"Would you change her if you could?"

I thought about it. I'd be damned if there weren't things that Pup did that drove me absolutely up the wall. There were times I would give anything for a daughter that was more like Kyo or Notsu. Someone calm and vicious, but completely contained.

Then out of nowhere I thought of Tamahome, my oldest. I remembered the fight he and Pup had had right before he left. I saw Pup's broken face, full of hurt and anger when he said he couldn't love her…she was too close to an animal…

And I finally thought about my daughter. My perfect mirror image. I thought about her heart, her soul, her fearlessness, her fight. I saw her playing with Miroku's children, or listening to Kaede tell some stupid ancient folk tale. I saw her bandaging her brothers. And I saw her jumping off that damn branch and flying like a demented angel through the air. I saw her the night of the festival, covered in mud, clothes ripped, blood trickling from a small scratch on her cheek, and still finding a reason to smile at the end of the night. And I knew with a pang in my heart that this was the child I had waited for for so long.

"No." I said "I love her too much."

"So what do we do?"

I shook my head. "We get in bed. We go back to sleep. We deal with her later."

"I love her too, ya know."

"I know, I know."

As I leaned over in bed to kiss her goodnight again, she held up a finger, asking me silently to wait a moment. "Raidon, Ronin! Since you boys are awake, one of you can have the privilege of fetching your sister in the morning! Stop eavesdropping and go to sleep!" She shouted.

From behind the door, two muffled "Night Mama!"s came floating in through the darkness.

Kissing the corner of my mouth, Kagome giggled. "There are worse things than having a wild daughter. She could be one of the twins."

I shuddered and had no comment.

**KATANA'S P.O.V.**

Grey light seeped into my room through the window. I opened my eyes and sat up in bed, looking at the alarm clock on the sidetable. 8 fucking 30. And I couldn't even get back to sleep.

I sighed and pulled the covers down, stepping off the bed and reaching to the floor to pick up an outfit I had thrown down the night before. The room was a mess. Just how I liked it.

Everything my grandmother bought me was feminine in some way. Not "girly" but "feminine." I sighed. I guess It wouldn't kill me to make the most of it. Pulling on some dark skinny jeans and a green camisole, I looked for some sort of jacket. If those clouds were any indication, rain would be on its way soon enough. Finally I found a grey zip up hoodie with rhinestones and studs down the back and sleeves. Roses, skulls, and dragons had been painted on the back and along the front pockets. The zipper itself was a tarnished bronze color. '_Actually…this is pretty cute…' _I admitted as I zipped it up. '_Just because I'm a tomboy doesn't mean I can't like pretty things. At least it'll keep me warm.'_

I looked at myself in the mirror. For throwing something together last minute, I didn't look half bad. Except for my ears. Those were always a problem.

I searched my floor again for a bandana, headband, hat, anything that would cover the furry appendages. My eyes settled on a black hat a few feet away. '_That'll work.' _I snatched a hair tie out of my desk drawer and looped my hair in a sloppy ponytail, bangs hanging loose. Then I folded it up over my head and placed the hat on, so the only hair that was falling down on my head were my bangs. The hat in itself was pretty nice. It was newsboy style (my favorite) with bronzy studs along the edge of the bill. It would hold my hair and hide my ears a lot better than some dumb baseball cap.

Now the only thing left to complete my look were the dreaded shoes. I **hated** shoes.In the Feudal Era I could run around barefoot for as long as I wanted, no problem. My brothers did it all the time, as well as my father. But here, my grandmother insisted our feet be covered. I'll say it again. I **loathe** shoes.

'_Deal with it.' _ My mind screamed. '_You're too restless and want out of here. The only way that'll happen is if you put on the devil binding evil shoes of doom and death.' _I cringed. Stupid conscious. Gritting my teeth I dug in my closet for some socks, and slowly pulled on a pair of gray converse sneakers afterward. A knock sounded at my door.

"Katana, sweetie, are you awake? Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Grandmama entered, smiling. "Oh, you're dressed! I was going to bring you breakfast in bed!" She pulled in a tray mounted high with food. "I knew you would like that hoodie. They're very popular in America right now, from what I hear."

Flashing a smirk I took the tray from her hands and set it down on the bed. Picking up a fork I started eating. In between bites I managed a "Thanks, Grandmama" and gulped down a glass of orange juice.

"So where are you going today?"

I frowned. "I'm being punished, remember? The farthest I can go is the shrine fence."

Grandmama stood with my empty tray and walked towards the door. "I have a few errands that need running. If you were to accidentally, oh I don't know, go out and see your friends for a couple of hours while doing such chores, I wouldn't be the wiser now would I?" She leaned on the doorframe, smirking. "And neither would your mother…"

I grinned. '_I have the best grandmother EVER.' _Storming down the stairs I bounded towards the front door. My grandmother walked passed me calmly, holding up the grocery list in one hand. I snatched it up without slowing my pace down and was out in the open air in an instant.

I walked a few blocks down the street and turned into an alley. It was easier to enter this way. I stood on a dumpster and jumped to catch the metal ladder of a fire escape, letting my legs dangle above the ground for a moment. My mind flashed back to when my brothers would hold me up to swing from branch to branch of the trees in the forest, before I had learned to leap through the leaves. It was a good feeling, hanging there, knowing I only had two choices: hang on or let go. It was something I didn't think my father had any idea how to deal with.

Pulling myself up onto the first rung, I started climbing to the sixth story. Kiko was going to have a fit when she saw me. When I reached the platform leading to the window of my destination, I stopped, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from rolling over laughing.

Beyond the window, inside the room I could see Marsu, Kiko's older brother dancing around his room in only his boxers to some rock song or other. He was checking himself out in the mirror and flexing, a dumbbell in each hand. Where was a video camera when I needed it? I could have won ten thousand dollars! Marsu continued to moonwalk around his bed and sing soprano into his dumbbell. I was lucky I had such iron-hold control, or I would have fallen off the platform laughing.

Quietly sliding open the window, I crawled inside, leaning on the window frame. Marsu had his back to me, doing what I could only describe as an extremely demented version of the disco. I tilted my head. I hadn't seen Marsu or Kiko in almost a year—which was honestly ridiculous because they only lived a few blocks over from my grandmother.

When I had been younger, Grandmama had insisted that I have friends in the modern era, so I wouldn't be lonely if I had to leave my brothers. But because of my hair, ears, eyes, fangs and claws I had to be careful who I trusted to be around—and those same characteristics made it hard for me to make friends at all.

I had been taking a run through the parks one day several years ago when I heard someone scream. Kiko had been backed against a wall by some thugs, her school uniform torn and arm bruised, obviously an easy target for some afterschool fun. What was I to do? Just let them beat on her? So I swooped down and saved her stupid ass. We had been friends ever since.

Kiko and Marsu were only a couple years apart—they had been best friends at the time of Kiko's attack, the dynamic duo of Tokyo. Their parents had been killed in a car accident when Kiko was barely a kid. They had lived in a small house with their uncle and aunt till Marsu turned 18, then moved together to the small apartment I was now at. Being Kiko's 'guardian angel' as Marsu put it, I was welcome any time. But it had been a while…I only hoped they would both forgive me for ditching them for so long.

The song ended and Marsu spun around triumphantly. I couldn't hold it back any longer. With a giant blast of laughter, I clapped enthusiastically. "Bravo! Bravo! Encore!" At my outburst, Marsu had turned around to stare at me. Seeing who it was, a dumbbell few out of his hand in surprise and landed on the platform outside the window. Had it not been open, or me still outside, serious damage could have been done. "Whoa, careful big boy. You could kill a girl flinging those things around like that!"

Marsu just stared at me, mouth slightly agape, one dumbbell still suspended in his limp hand. I waited, trying to be patient and stifle my remaining giggles as he got over the shock over seeing my face. Even I had to admit, he'd gotten pretty cute over the years. Finally he seemed to find his voice. "K..Katana! You're here! Where have you been? We were worried—" his expression turned defensive. "How much of that did you see?"

I smirked. "You've got some pretty impressive moves. Though I have to say, what sold me were the boxers. I love duckies."

Marsu's eyes bulged wide with the realization that he was indeed very much unclothed. "What the HELL—**turn around!"**

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please. I have six brothers. I seriously doubt you have anything I haven't seen before."

A fire sparked behind his brown eyes. "KIKO! I found something that belongs to you!"

"Actually, I'm the one who found you, baka."

Just then Kiko appeared beyond the doorframe, texting someone on her cell phone. "What are you complaining about—KATANA!!" launching herself at me, she threw her arms around my waist and started jumping up and down, taking me with her. "You're here! You're back! Where've you been? Why didn't you call? Why are you in my brother's bedroom when he's naked?"

"Excuse me! I am **not **naked!" Marsu piped up.

"He's right," I said. "He has his duckies."

"Enough with the duckies already!" he yelled.

Kiko stopped jumping and stood back to get a good look at me. "Love the jacket. Very you. Ooo we have to celebrate! You're back!"

I took a step towards the window frame. "Actually I just came to say hi. My grandmother has some errands she needs me to run, then I'll probably have to head home to my parents."

Kiko's face dropped. "No! Don't leave! I'm coming with you! We'll get more done faster this way! Please, I haven't seen you in forever!"

'_Shit shit shit shit shit! She's doing the puppy eyes! Those are MINE.' _I thought. "Fine, let's go, I have to get home."

Climbing out to the landing, I gave Kiko a hand down. She wasn't the most graceful of girls, but luckily she had learned to laugh at herself a long time ago. Notsu had taken the extra minutes to pull on a pair of baggy jeans. Swinging one leg out the window he called down for us to wait up.

"No way! You're not coming!" Kiko yelled. "Can't you see I'm in desperate need of some girl time?"

He scowled down at his sister. "You're gonna have to learn to share her someday, kid."

"Yeah right. If I handed her over to you, I would never get her back!"

"Damn strait!" With that last word, Marsu slammed his window closed, glaring at Kiko.

She stuck out her tongue. "And stop trying to sexually harass my friends and PUT ON A DAMN SHIRT!" Looping her arm through mine, Kiko started walking towards the end of the alley. Looking back I glanced up to Marsu's window in time to see him wink and flash me a half smile.

"You really screwed him up, leaving and not coming back like that." I turned to look Kiko in the eye.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just…it got complicated having friends here and always having to go back to my parent's. If you really want the truth, I've been back to Tokyo quite a few times since I left…"

She stared at me. "And you never came by?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I was getting to close to you guys. I got scared. Forgive me?"

Kiko sighed and nodded. "Just don't ever disappear again. We had gotten pretty attached to you too, ya know."

"I know."

"…Especially Marsu."

I elbowed her ribs. "Tame it, Kiko."

"He's still in love with you."

"You've been saying that for years. It's not true. Lay off."

"You like him too!"

"I do not. We get along—end of story. If you haven't noticed, you and your brother are kinda attached at the hip. If I want to hang out with you, Marsu just comes as part of the package. Besides, he's a decent looking fella," '_Real decent…' _ I thought. "He should find some other girl to swoon."

"He should. But he won't even try! He doesn't want anyone else! He only wants **you!"**

I turned to whack Kiko lightly on the head, but found I couldn't. The way she was looking at me…she was completely serious. "I'm sorry, Kiko, but your brother's just gonna have to get over that. I'm not interested."

"You think **I'm** happy with the situation? My brother has a huge-ass-head-over-heals crush on my best friend! How am I supposed to deal with that?!"

"Dearest Kiko. Always thinking of others."

"Shut up."

"You started it."

"Did not!"

"Did too, if your brother wasn't so easily impressed this never would have happened."

"He is **not **easily impressed! And what does that have to do with me anyway?"

"Joined at the hip, remember?"

"Can we please just get your grandmother's stupid groceries?"

"Fine with me."

"Fine."

We walked into the store, pretending to be angry with each other. "Kiko?" I asked.

"What?"

"…I love duckies…"

She smirked. "He knows. That's why he's worn those boxers every day for a year. He always told me that one day you'd come back and he'd show you how much you could **really **love duckies."

I tackled her to the ground. It was another hour before we finally got Grandmama's groceries and were able to leave the store.

A/N: Kelementis here! I had so much fun writing this chapter! Hope you all liked it. However, there are a few things I need to clear up:

Kagome's grandfather is long since deceased. He isn't mentioned in this story because there is no place for him. And honestly, he kindof annoyed me in the anime and manga

Kiko and Marsu have not met anyone in Katana's family besides Souta and Grandmama (Mai).

All of Inuyasha's children have some sort of weapon except Katana. I know I know, the irony of her name meaning 'sword' and she not having a weapon is ridiculous, but Inuyasha is just to overprotective to allow her anything that strong.

Yes Marsu really IS in love with Katana. The problem: she is NOT in love with him. She feels a mild attraction, but nothing more…yet…

Ok, that's it for now! Thanks for reading and feel free to drop me a review! PLEASE!! Love you all and hope to update soon!


	5. Blood is Thicker than Water

A/N: This next chapter is dedicated to Jake Newmon! Thanks for the encouraging review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Dammit.

talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

Chapter 5: Blood is Thicker than Water

**KATANA'S P.O.V**

We arrived back at Kiko's apartment in time to see Marsu fill a balloon with yellow paint and tack it to a canvas board across the livingroom. He had changed into his torn, splattered jeans with acid wash pockets and a white T-shirt (or at least it would have been if the hundreds of paint, charcoal, pastel and clay splatters hadn't covered the front.) with a bright red bandana tied around his neck, point downward towards his chest. He had covered his head with a dark blue beanie hat so I all I could see of his ebony hair was the short pony tail tied at the nape of his neck. In truth, his hair was only about Miroku's length, just long enough to give himself a messy look without hair gel, but for safety reasons, he tied it back whenever he was working on a new project.

"Hey, Michaelangelo, are we gonna be in the way?" I asked.

Turning away from the canvas now completely covered with paint-filled balloons, he grinned at me, his chocolate orbs flaring with a spark I didn't recognize, raising goosebumps on my arms. "Actually I was hoping you two could help me with this. I'm not exactly sure it'll work, but hey, it should be fun."

Kiko and I dropped the grocery bags we had been carrying on the kitchen table, eyeing the balloons suspiciously. "You know," Kiko said "I actually have some homework to finish…my exams are in only a couple of weeks, so I'd better start studying." Her eyes met mine and she smirked—I immediately caught on. '_DAMN YOU KIKO! If you stick me here, I swear you'll regret it…' _I forwarded the message through my eyeballs, trying to burn a hole in her head. But of course she ignored me and continued. "Why don't you two work on it together? You can stay a while longer, can't you Katana?"

'_If we were in a cartoon, I would pull a hammer from behind my back and hit her over the head till she bounces back up like an accordion right now!' _ Before I could answer, Kiko skipped merrily to her room, shutting the door. I heard the click of the lock as it snapped into place. Sometimes I wondered if it would be the bad intentions of my enemies that would eventually kill me or the good of my friends. I swallowed and looked over at Marsu. He shrugged and reached for my hand. "C'mon, humor me." Dragging me into the living room, he grabbed a roll of masking tape and a square of steel wool, taping the washing tool to the inside of my palm. "Now just go up and hit the balloons. See what happens." I nodded mutely, still vaguely entranced by the feel of his callused fingers grazing gently over my hand.

Marsu was an artist. It was his career, his passion, his outlet. His paintings and sculptures sold for hundreds apiece online and in local galleries. It was the reason he could afford an apartment for Kiko and himself so young (decorated and designed of course by his own hand). Once a business major and a promising intern at a local foundation, he had dropped everything to chase his muse. When we had first met, I said he was crazy. I asked him why he would do something so stupid. He shrugged at me, and answered "Why would you do something stupid like jump in a gang fight to save my sister? We do things because they're important to us—because if we didn't we'd be empty inside."

You know that feeling you get when your chin hits the ground then someone slaps you with a wet catfish across the cheek? Growing up with six brothers, I was very familiar with that feeling. Especially in the literal sense. But it was in that moment I knew that no matter what guard I put up around myself, Marsu would see right through it. Was everything in life really that simple?

I was pulled out of my daydream when fingers were snapped in front of my face. "Hey, kiddo, you ok?" Marsu teased. "Don't blank out on me now, this **is **my work, after all."

"What? Yeah—I'm here, I promise."

He had strapped some steel wool to his own hands by then. "Ok. On the count of three. You ready?" I approached the canvas, hand hovering over a balloon somewhere near the far edge. Marsu copied my stance and looked me in the eye. "One…two—"

Before he even said the last number I redirected my hand to smash into a balloon near his face. Green paint splattered all over the left side of his head, coating his cheek, temple, eye and ear in goop. I shook the paint and limp pieces of popped balloon off of my hand. Somehow with a straight face I managed to look him in the eye. "Hey you're right! This is fun!" I burst out in giggles as he wiped and spit green goop somewhere onto the tarp covered floor.

He stretched his head from side to side, popping the kinks out, eyes sparking. With a grin, he pulled a balloon off its tack, dangling it above my head. "You are gonna regret that." He stated calmly.

'_He would, too. He SO would.' _I held up my hands in defense. "Wait! My hand slipped!"

"Strike one. Try again."

"This is a new sweater?"

"Don't care. Strike two."

"I have six brothers. If you do this they'll hunt you down and—"

"Strike three!" I yelped as his other hand came up with a force and smashed the drooping balloon over my head. "You asked for it, Sneaky."

Purple paint clouded my vision and dripped off my bangs. My hat, I could feel, was completely soaked, as well as the shoulders of my sweatshirt. I debated hitting him for a split second before reaching up to my cheek instead, smearing violet goop all over my fingers and wiping them all over the clean right side of his face. "This means war, " I purred sweetly.

He smiled, that same wide, dreamlike smile that never failed to make my knees feel like jello. "Bring it on, little girl."

An all out paint brawl exploded in the living room. Thankfully, the worst of it got within reach of the canvas, so nothing valuable was ruined. However, an hour later, we lay on the floor, side by side, looking up at the ceiling and panting from exhaustion. Neither of us could remember the exact color our shirts had been originally before the fight. My hair was sticky and I was lightheaded from all the strong paint fumes. _'It was worth it,' _my mind chided '_this is the most fun I've had in a long time.'_

It was nice for once to be around a male whom I was not related to. Miroku and Shippo didn't really count—they were more Mama and Papa's friends than mine. Besides they had proclaimed themselves my family long before I was even born, so in the end all I had in testosterone relations were my family members. It was nice to know that while I was safe, I wasn't jaded or feeling like a burden. Marsu was funny that way—I could sit with him in total silence for hours, then get up and leave feeling I had had the best conversation of my life. '_Isn't this the reason I kept my distance in the first place?' _my mind hissed '_I knew that if I got too close I would fall for him. That can't happen—this is why I didn't come back right away! I was protecting him.'_

"I should get home." I said. Suddenly my body was very stiff, the overwhelming stench of paint clogging my sensitive nose. I needed to get out of here.

"It's too late for you to go by yourself. I'll walk you home."

"Don't even try--"

"Don't even try to stop me." He finished. I gave up. It was a losing battle. When Marsu set his mind on something he was as stubborn as an ass youkai. He stood, offering his hand to help me to my feet, but I declined, instead standing on my own and shouldering the groceries we had long since forgotten. It was going to be a long walk back to the shrine.

8888888888

We arrived at the shrine in mere minutes…but it definitely felt like hours. I officially wanted a shower. Usually I was able to shrug off major ick factors on my skin and hair for at least a week. Cleanliness wasn't a big thing to most of my family. The only ones who ever complained about a small amount of dirt on their faces were Mama, Notsu, and Tamahome. However the fumes from the paint still radiated off the dried patches on my body, assaulting my nose and making me dizzy. I could barely hear anything under the goop covered hat, and my claws would be damn near useless covered in rubbery blue paint. Why couldn't Marsu have had a less messy talent, like knitting or accounting?

'_Why didn't I stop him from walking me home? I can out-debate anybody. Why did I give in so easily?' _I bit the inside of my cheek to keep down the growl that rumbled in my throat. At the back, dark corners of my mind, I could hear the answer bubbling up to the surface—'_I __**wanted**__ him to come…'_

Marsu kept glancing at me every couple of minutes, saying nothing but offering me a calm and contented frown. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his jeans and his footsteps were slow and measured, easily keeping up with my own. I was surprised to hear him speak. "I wish I could walk like you."

I blinked at him. "What?"

"The way you walk."

"I know, ok? I walk like a guy. When ya live with a bunch of baka boys like I do, learning to take ladylike steps is pretty much impossible."

He laughed lightly. "I didn't mean it that. I meant that you always seem to know exactly where you're going. Every step you take is forceful, like you mean it. You never even look at your feet. I wish I could be that sure about where I'm headed."

I tossed him a wiry smile. "That's possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"And you do walk like a guy."

"Jerk."

We arrived at the shrine gate and I made a move to open the lock. Marsu stopped me, yanking the groceries out of my hands and placing them on the sidewalk. The intensity in his eyes as he looked at me caught me off guard. I had to strain to keep focused on what he was saying. "Why did you leave for so long?"

What was I supposed to say? I couldn't lie to him. So I did what I always do—told him the truth…or at least a stretched version of the truth that would break on its own if his assumptions were wrong. "I'm sorry, I should have given you more warning. But, Marsu, you got to understand I was getting too close to you and Kiko. Trust me, I'm a pretty big pain in the ass. I was protecting you."

"That's bull shit and you know it."

"It's not! It's what we do in my family—we protect. Anyone who gets too close is asking for trouble."

"Don't care."

"You should."

"But I don't." He reached up and brushed my sticky bangs away from my forehead with his warm fingertips. "Promise me you'll stick around."

I was struggling not to get frustrated. A warning growl escaped my throat—my personal bubble was officially invaded and I wasn't sure how to handle it. "I already told Kiko I'll come to visit more."

"Not good enough. Do you even realize how worried we've been? We know you, Katana," I started to turn towards the shrine, but his hand on my shoulder stopped me. "We know you—but we know nothing **about** you. Where are your parents? You say you have brothers but we've never met any of them. We had no way of reaching you while you were gone! All your grandmother said was that you would come back when you were ready—what the hell does that even mean?"

My anger flared up and I pulled free of Marsu's grip. "My life is none of your business."

"I want it to be!" He yelled. "Stop disappearing!" He took a long breath and glared at me. I could feel his eyes burning holes into the top of my hat. "Don't you ever get tired of having a secret life?"

My head snapped to attention. If he had meant to get me pissed, he had done a damn good job. I would be the first to admit that splitting life between one time and the next was not easy, but I had never been ashamed of it—or my family. The fact that he would stoop so low as to take a stab at my personal life proved one thing. Marsu-the-buddy was gone. I was dealing with Marsu the man, and I knew it…but I'd be damned if I let him see the crack he had made in my wall of defense. Using what imagination I had left from our earlier paint brawl, I transformed him. I was now arguing with one of my brothers—a fight I knew I could easily win.

"I don't remember asking you to become my keeper!"

Marsu stepped forward, taking my hands. "I don't want to be your keeper, and I don't want to be your friend. I want to be something else…something more than that." His voice was nothing more than a whisper now, and his chocolate gaze was slowly chipping away at my anger. "Don't go back, Katana. Live here, at the shrine or move in with Kiko and me, but don't go to wherever it is you always go. We lost you once, we don't want to lose you again."

I yanked at my hands, taking three large steps backward and picking up the groceries we had left on the ground. They acted as my shield, something to separate us. I couldn't hide my hurt with my anger, so instead I built a wall of apathy—a trick I had learned from my father long ago. Counting to ten, I made sure to look Marsu in the eye before I spoke. "That's not gonna happen, Marsu. You and Kiko mean the world to me, but I don't belong here. And you never lost me. You will never lose me. I'll come back, just like I always do. But I can't stay Marsu. I won't."

His face tightened in anger, his mouth opening to retaliate, but before anything could escape his lips a bright flash erupted from the bushes beside us. "You are gonna be in so deep!"

I nearly dropped the bags I was holding. The anger I had used earlier now flamed into a blazing inferno. "RAIDON! RONIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

My brothers, smirking like Cheshire cats stepped out of the shrubbery, one holding a Polaroid camera and the other flicking a picture back and forth to produce the image. "Mama sent us to get you. You're supposed to be under house arrest, remember?" Ronin voiced smoothly.

"Grandmama asked me to do some errands, you jerks!"

"Of course she did. And I'm sure you being covered in all colors of the rainbow fits into that excuse somewhere. By the way, who's this poor bastard? I'm sure Father'll want to know his name. Makes him easier to maim." The smirk on Raidon's lips slithered its way into his voice although his tone was light, teasing and gentle. He turned his full attention to Marsu, "Don't be rude, little sis, introduce us!"

"Like hell I will!"

"Katana, what's going on?" Marsu kept looking from one twin to another, nervously trying to figure out if he should stay or run for it.

I ground my teeth together. "You wanted proof I had brothers? Well there you go."

Ronin had now started examining the photo in his hands. "Yup. He's definitely a male, he's definitely not in our family, and he's definitely within fifty feet of you, Pup. Pop's gonna kill him."

"So, baka, how do you know our sister?" Raidon had clasped Marsu's shoulder and I had no doubt it wasn't a gentle hold. I could see Marsu's eye twitch slightly in pain, and wondered how in the seven hells I was going to get out of this.

"I'm friends with his sister, Raidon, now let him go! He was just walking me home!"

"Looked like more than 'walking home' to me."

"It wasn't! Let him go, he was trying to **protect** me!"Both of the twins turned at my statement. "I can handle Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, Marsu. Go home. Tell Kiko it was good to see her again." He looked like he wanted to argue—I could see the wheels in his head turning, looking for some loophole that would allow him to stay near my side a little longer. "What the hell are you still standing around for?"

Marsu nodded and sent me one last look, clearly reading '_This isn't over.'_

Raidon and Ronin let him leave, taking the groceries from my hands and stashing the picture somewhere in the pockets of their matching sweatshirts. They must have changed while waiting for me to get back.

"You're in pretty deep, Pup." Ronin chided.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Maybe not to start with, but walking around in the **dark** with a **male, **looking like **shit** fell on your head, when you're supposed to be carrying out a **punishment **is not good!"

"He's a friend!"

"Thought you were his **sister's **friend."

"F-- off."

"I would, but we're related."

"Screw you!"

"Much better."

"Both of you shut the hell up!" Raidon shouted. "It's getting late, we were all supposed to be home hours ago. I say we get some sleep while we can." He jammed a human finger in my direction. "If you weren't so covered in goo, you would have been able to smell us hiding, Pup. This is your own fault. We'll deal with you in the morning." With that final word, he and Ronin turned and stomped towards the shrine, not looking back.

Lifting my eyes to the sky, I tried to calm my nerves by taking a deep breath. I remembered Marsu's face, the look he gave me right before he left. _'This isn't over…'_ I dropped my head and walked towards the house, hoping beyond all hope that there was a hot shower waiting for me. '_You baka.'_ I thought _'It never even started.'_

8888888888

**KYO'S P.O.V.**

With one swing I finished hammering roof of Kaede's hut. Several leaks had sprung over the passing months and since I didn't feel particularly fond of witnessing Pup's arrival back home, I volunteered to help the old woman out. It was just before sunset and as I set my tool down I glanced at the darkening horizon. Colors blazed across my vision and shadows creeped silently over the forest. I griminced, remembering a day much like this one years before—just as beautiful, but not nearly as calm.

_***FLASHBACK***_

"_**This isn't fair!" Pup screamed. "They all got to go, why can't I?"**_

_**Father's gaze hardened, jaw set in determination. "If you know what's good for you, Pup, you'll shut the hell up right now and do as I say!"**_

"_**You can't protect me forever!"**_

"_**Wanna bet?!"  
**_

"_**What do I have to do to prove I'm ready for this?!"**_

"_**ENOUGH, PUP!" In one swift motion, Father grabbed Pup's arm and swung her into her room, slamming the door shut. "You stay in there till I say you can come out!" With that, he stomped outside, refusing to look back.**_

_**I watched quietly from my place in the corner, waiting till Father's scent could no longer be detected in range. '**_**5…4…3…2…1…' **_**The door to Katana's room opened a crack, just enough for me to see a twitching silver ear and a determined violet eye peek out. When her gaze settled on me, I shook my head. If Father knew I had let her free, my ass would hurt for a month. **_

_**The door closed again with an exasperated sigh. Damn her and her little tricks. I walked over to her door and knocked softly. No answer. Clearing my throat I forced my vocal chords to work. "Sorry…"**_

_**The door flew open and suddenly I was thrown onto my back, an angry Katana staring down at me. "It's not your fault, Kyo, so don't you dare f—ing apologize to me." She turned around and headed back into her room. "I just…I don't understand!" and once again, the door slammed shut.**_

_**Whenever one of the boys turned thirteen (in human years at least.), Father sent them off on their own as a test of skills. They had to return within a month and bring proof of their survival—a pelt, a hand-formed weapon, something of the like. With every passing brother that went on these quests, Katana's growing excitement was evident. And with her evolving anticipation came our parent's growing fear. Hardly ever without a chaperone, Pup's restlessness often overpowered her better judgment. To let her break free was something that the great Inuyasha would never allow. She was too powerful, too wild, and too much like him to ever understand what was out in the big, bad world. **_

_**What our parents didn't seem to understand was that Katana may have been young and inexperienced, but she saw a lot more than she told. She knew much more than they thought she did. We brothers all knew she would survive if given the chance…but unfortunately there were some risks even our father was not willing to take. **_

_**Feeling secure that Father would return shortly and Katana would stay put in her room, moping, I settled down in the corner and closed my eyes. It was safe to take a little nap, right? **_

**8888888888**

_**Wrong. Very VERY wrong. I woke to Notsu shaking my shoulder roughly. As I looked around I noticed three things: 1. The door to Katana's room was swung wide open, and she was not inside 2. Father and mother were nowhere to be found 3. Storm clouds were looming beyond the windows of our home. **_

_**My head was groggy and my limbs felt like lead, but with Notsu's help I managed to stand. What was going on? When the fogginess behind my vision cleared, I trampled over to Katana's room, hoping to find something—anything that would prove she was still in the house. But of course, there wasn't.**_

_**Her kimonos were strewn across the floor, the two plainest gone along with her deer-hide bag she used to carry items around the village. I looked to her windowsill where she usually kept medication from the future and found her painkillers missing as well. Her soaps, blankets, and other items were still in place. She had left in a hurry. But how did she get past the front door without waking me up?**_

_**A breeze blew through the open window and something caught against my ankle. I looked down, expecting to see a piece of paper or a ribbon or something random, but instead found a burnt sprig of some kind of herb. The tip was still smoking slightly, and as I looked around I saw some fallen leaves littering the corner of the doorway just below the hinge. I picked up the weed and tentatively sniffed. Dizziness exploded behind my eyeballs and a small amount of bile rose in my throat. Slowly the pieces of the puzzle fell into place…**_

_**I had fallen asleep and to keep me that way, my own sister lit whatever this plant was on fire, shoved it under her closed door and drugged me, knocking me out cold. Gathering her things she'd fled…but if she was smart enough to go to all this effort, why leave without a weapon? **_

_**Instantly my hand fled to my dagger, the small one I kept in the waistband of my hakama at all times. Usually I preferred hand to hand combat, but I did know how to wield a sword and throw a knife. All my brothers kept some sort of small blade with them, just in case of desperate times—and I found Pup had been very desperate. My dagger and its sheath were gone.**_

"_**Father, Mama and the others are searching for her now, but her scent is faint. She must have left hours ago," Notsu said quietly. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. "The rain is coming…if it falls…if it falls we won't be able to find her." I nodded mutely. "Father's not mad at you. He knows she left on her own."**_

_**The sound of hinges breaking caused my head to snap up. Tamahome stood in the doorway, his face as serene and poised as ever. Surprisingly he didn't look much like the rest of the brothers. Sure he had silver hair, golden eyes and human ears, but his face was so angled, burdened, restless and his body so limber and straight that he looked more like our uncle Sesshomaru than anyone else. **_

_**The low pitch of his snarling drove away any other sound in the room. His eyes were clouded over with fury and silent loathing. Unlike the rest of the brothers who lashed out when aggravated, Tamahome preferred to keep it all inside, slowly seething and brewing until he could lethally poison anyone in his path with his venomous hate. Controlling, orderly and overbearing, Tamahome was burdened with being the oldest of seven children. It wasn't that he didn't care about any of us—he did, in a deeper way than we knew. But what separated Tamahome from the rest of Father's children was that protecting did not come first. Protecting what you held precious was far overruled by controlling what you claimed yours in Tamahome's world. **_

"_**Stupid, inconsiderate, self-absorbed, spoiled-rotten little brat. Father should have locked her away long ago. Obviously women should never leave the confines of the house unattended." He seethed.**_

_**I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Suddenly despite my drug-induced state I was wide alert. Gritting my teeth, I managed to speak. "Don't talk about her like that." **_

_**Tamahome turned and focused his full attention on me. "Disobeying Father, drugging you, running off, stealing weapons—for all we know she's sneaking around with some man. This family would be better off without the ungrateful little slut."**_

_**I lunged. Katana was a pain in the ass, sure. She made mistakes. She made us all go through hell untangling the webs she wove. But she also learned from her mistakes, gave much more than she took, and in the darkest moments when we would rather die than see the destruction of our world, she reminded us (often with a smack upside the head) that there was always something to live for. And she would never, never upon pain of death, sell herself off as anything less than what she was—our father's only daughter.**_

_**Tamahome didn't even try to resist my attack. He simply fell, bleeding from three shallow gashes on his shoulder. I had the front of his haori bunched in my fist, pulling his face down to mine. I could hear somewhere in the background Notsu shouting at us to come to our senses. Honestly I was surprised I had gotten to Tamahome before he did. I ignored him and tightened my grip on my brother. Looking into his eyes I lifted my chin. "She deserves this more than you ever did." I spat. **_

_**Releasing him I bounded out the door as rain started falling hard and fast. I had spoken more that night than I usually did in a week and I was tired. Under normal circumstances Father would deliver a blow from the seven hells straight through my gut at wounding my own brother, but right now he would be too preoccupied with Pup's disappearance to bother much with anything else. Settling in a nearby tree, letting a few stray raindrops fall from the leaves onto my head, I closed my eyes. Letting out a shaky breath I only had time for one thought before I fell into an undrugged sleep—**_**'Please, Pup…be safe.'**

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_**Three weeks, four days, two hours, fifty-eight minutes and Pup was still missing. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a rosy-golden glow over the forest. It would have been beautiful—had we all not been busy trying to keep Father from tearing the world apart by the core. Little by little, his anger had fallen away to reveal outright desperation to find his lost Pup. It took all six of us, plus Mother, Sango, Miroku and Kaede to keep him from turning the forest into woodchips. **_

_**Every morning, before any of us would wake, Father would sneak off and search for her. Returning only when the sun set, he had grown exhausted, impatient, and anything but lucid. The only one who could get anywhere near him was Mama—for all he knew, the rest of the world could fall away. His daughter was missing…and if he had too he would tear the earth and underworld apart to find her. **_

_**We could see him approaching the house, completely spent on energy and surviving on will alone. Eating only when forced, his health had seen better days. Dropping down to his knees in the grass he hung his head and heaved a long sigh. I was still a safe distance away, and hardly heard when he called my name. "Kyo. Get your mother."**_

_**Running into the house, I clasped my mother's wrist and dragged her outside, first-aid kit in my other hand. The only reason he would ever talk to me would be because he was injured. Running back outside to meet my father, I skidded to a stop a few feet away feeling my breath hitch in my throat. **_

_**In the few moments I had been away my father had passed out. I was unsurprised, it wasn't an uncommon sight over the past few weeks. What did have my heart beating was seeing Katana standing over his body.**_

_**I had arrived just in time to see her drop to one knee, gently lifting Father's head and leaning it on her thigh so his torso was suspended above the ground. Tugging on his haori, she removed the garment and ripped a long sleeve off her own clothing, wrapping it securely around his shoulder and chest. It only took my mother and me another second to respond to the shock of seeing Pup. We ran over, calling her name at the top of our lungs.**_

_**She ignored us, instead opting to wipe sweat off Father's brow. Getting closer I could hear her whispering to him "I'm here, Papa. I'm back. I'm right here…"**_

_**For the first time, she looked completely foreign to my eyes. Her kimono was ripped and fraying, caked in mud and blood. Her hair looked like it had been chopped in places, each lock a completely different length than the ones next to it. The fingers on her hands were callused and bruised, a long gash had been cut along her left cheekbone. But all this aside, the fact was that she was home. She was alive.**_

_**This wasn't the type of entrence I thought she would make, though. Usually boastful and confident, seeing my sister so beaten and tired threw me off balance. I had imagined her returning valiantly with a giant kill on her shoulders, to throw it down at Father's feet and scoff him for underestimating her. Instead I saw not a girl, but a woman kneeling before her father, speaking softly and cleaning his wounds though she herself had so many more. For truly the first time, I was able to see that this girl was just as much a human as a demon. She was just as much my mother's daughter as my father's.**_

_**Lost in my own head I hadn't realized that while Katana was treating my father, Mama was treating Katana. The sting of rubbing alcohol reached my nose, and I could see Pup flinch slightly as a soaked cotton swab rubbed an especially deep slit on her upper arm. Seeing that I shouldn't get in the way, I searched the surroundings for any trace of which direction Katana could have appeared from. **_

_**Glinting against the sheen of the setting sun I saw her deer-hide bag lying limp in the grass. Apparently when Pup had seen Father lying collapse she had dropped her bag and fled to his side. Not in much better shape than Pup herself, I approached it wearily, curious to see what was making the three large bumps under the fabric. Flipping it open, I bit my tongue as pride swelled in my chest. Within the pouch I found three large fire-rat pelts, each one easily as wide as Tak's chest and as long as my arm stretch. So that was why we couldn't find her…**_

_**Holding one up for Mama to see, I noticed Katana's definite stare at the grass, stubbornly refusing to meet our eyes. Mama saw the pelt and snapped her head around to address her daughter. "You went into the fire mountains?" Nodding, Katana's ears twitched as Father groaned. Grabbing one of his arms and wrapping it around her shoulders, she started dragging him toward the house. **_

_**Eyeing us both carefully, she managed to flash us a smirk. "Help me get Papa inside. I'm starving."**_

_***END FLASHBACK***_

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Taking a deep breath as the last of the evening light faded before my eyes, I shifted and jumped down from the roof. Glancing to the south, I could just see the tip of a moutaintop disappear as the great rock was completely engulfed in darkness. The fire mountains…

Dangerous and a complete mystery to the people in our lands, the fire mountains were often thought to be cursed. They could only be spotted at certain points of the year which made tracking their paths nearly impossible. The one place where fire-rats inhabited, Pup had found the perfect runaway spot. Unable to track her by scent or path, disappearing and reappearing, and full of who knows what kind of creatures, I understood her choice. How she got there was still a mystery…

She apologized a thousand times for drugging me after she got home. Punished and lectured at, Pup was still carrying out her sentence the following year. However she said it was worth it, learning how to make a fire-rat haori just like Father's had been the joy of her life for a few precious weeks.

The sound of crunching leaves turned my attention to the forest. Raidon, Ronin and Katana were returning home, the last smelling clean and looking about ready to thrash one of the twins. Deciding I didn't want to know what she did on the other side of the well to make our brothers look so smug, I ran over to greet them. The wind picked up and blew through our hair, and for a moment we felt like a family again. Then a scent came wafting our way…

Katana bolted strait for the forest again, muttering a few choice curse words along the way. Her face had changed from annoyance to pained as soon as she smelled his scent on the air. I shook my head at the twins' protests of going and dragging her back home. It would do no good. She would only lash out. Hell knows even I wanted to lash out.

Walking back to the house I checked the horizon again. A solitary shadow loomed over the fields. It was time to alert Father that after two years, Tamahome had finally returned home.

A/N: OMG I AM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! See there was a fire that caught in the hills above my school and destroyed twenty percent of our campus, so we had to evacuate for two weeks and I had lots and lots of make up work to do. Anyway, hope this chapter was ok. I really enjoyed writing the things going on inside Kyo's head. Hey that reminds me—if you guys could tell me who your most/least fav character in the story in your reviews that would be a big help. I really want to know what I'm doing well, or what I need to change, etc. Ok, as always happy reading and please R &R!


	6. Everything Must Change

A/N: Hey yall! Sososososososo sorry this chapter is so late! What can I say? College kills. Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you who have stuck with the story so far. Please remember to drop me a review describing your favorite/least favorite sibling and why…it would really help me to know what I need to change something in the story, if anything. So what do you say? On with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Dammit.

talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

Chapter 6: Everything Must Change

**NOTSU'S P.O.V**

Tamahome arrived just as we all knew he would. Dressed for high stature in fur and silk with his weapon at his side, face strained and cautious, making eye contact with each and every one of us as he entered our parents' meager-but-strong home. The only person who seemed immune to the stifling tension in the air was Mama, who threw her arms around her oldest son as soon as he entered her sight. She seemed unable to decide whether to laugh or cry, so instead decided to hold her son tightly in her embrace, and pound him with a thousand questions. "You're home! Are you hungry? Are you tired? Are you hurt? Where have you been? What took you so long? Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Oi, Wench. Let the baka breathe. He's fine." Father's tone was clipped, controlled, and while he looked relieved at his son's return, he also radiated suspicion. "Tama greet your brothers. Or are you too good for that now?"

Peeling Mama's arms from around his neck, Tama recognized the suggestion for what it was, rather than take insult to Father's harsh voice. Stepping forward he reached out for Setako's hand, watching as his only slightly younger sibling did the same. As soon as the contact was made and wrists were gripped firmly in each other's grasp, I watched as Tama's face twisted into what could only be described as an exhausted grin. The rest of us gathered around the two of them, embracing their huddled form, slapping Tama on the back and shoulders in welcome. Finally, the tension was broken and for a moment—if only that—we felt like a family again.

Stepping back, I concentrated my attention on Tamahome's face. His appearance had aged in the few years since he had left. There were more wrinkles on his brow, and the one dimple he had on his left cheek had stretched a little more. Had he been angry or worried I imagined he would have looked even older than Father. Nonetheless, he was our brother, and though rare and foreign on his face his smile reached his eyes, proving he was happy to see us.

"It's good to be back," he said, his voice deep and secure. "I have much to tell all of you…" Father and Mama retreated to their bedroom, opting to sleep and let us all catch up instead of intruding on our reunion. Sitting close to the fireplace Father had built in our family room, Tamahome started to tell us tales of his adventures over the past two years. Slicing down youkai, saving humans from certain doom, and occasionally reveling in the praise that followed, with every word that passed his lips he expressed the one trait he shared with Katana—a passion for completely enticing storytelling.

Being the youngest brother, I had never felt especially close with Tamahome. It was a mutual understanding—I would stay out of his space if he stayed out of mine. To him, I was not only a brother, but a veil—the shielding wall between himself and Katana. Being so close in age, Pup and I had a loyalty to each other...she would mess up and I would be the first to cover her ass, so the problem would never have to reach Tama's ears. My purpose was to make sure he hardly noticed she existed; it was the only way to keep them from killing each other. But sitting in the fire glow for hours on end listening to my oldest brother go on and on without the slightest care about whether or not she was still alive…to see with my own eyes that he held absolutely no remorse for what he had said to her face over two years prior…it wasn't right.

"Besides boring us to death with your stupid fairytales, is there anything else you'd like to do while you're here, Tama?" I used a claw to brush a long strand of dark hair away from my face. "Anything else you'd like to say?" Tamahome closed his mouth and stared, expressionless, into the fire. "Anyone else you'd like to see?"

The house went quiet as tension seeped back into the air. Slowly turning his gaze from the flames, Tama spoke carefully, as if he were handpicking his words. "You've always been the calming influence, Notsu. Which one of the bakas taught you it was polite to interrupt when someone else is talking?"

I gritted my teeth and stood, all traces of patience I had left within me gone. "That would be our sister, Katana. Pup. Remember her? The one you swore to Father you would protect? The **'animal?'"**

By the time I had finished, Tamahome had stood and advanced on me, hands balled in fists at his sides. "She would be the one, wouldn't she? Little girl never did learn proper respect—"

"She gives respect to those who deserve it."

"If she had **any** respect for **any** of us she would be here! No one is stopping her from making an appearance!"

"Just as no one is stopping **you** from going out and **finding her.** Or do you really just not care?"

Though I had yet to raise my voice, I could see my words had finally struck a nerve. Tama growled low in his throat—a warning that he usually reserved for the twins or Setako. "Tame it, boy. I know enough about that pup to see she's got you wrapped around her little claws."

I barked out a laugh. "Don't you dare talk to me like I'm a child. You know **nothing** about me **or** Pup."

If looks could kill, I should have been long dead. "I would know more if she would stop running away!"

Something in the back of my brain snapped—I think it may have been my sanity. "You taught her how! Pup has more flaws than I can name, but at least she never abandoned her family!"

I saw the blow coming and braced myself for the heat of impact, but it never came. Tamahome stood, fist raised and ready to knock me back when the twins shoved between us. "Enough!" Ronin whispered urgently. "You'll wake Father!" None of us looked impressed with his lame excuse. "You'll wake Mama." The response was automatic—we all stiffened.

"It's been two years, Tamahome. You didn't come all the way home from wherever you've been to insult your sister, pound Notsu into the ground, or inflate your pride. Why don't you tell us the truth? Why are you here?" Setako asked.

Tama took a steady breath and lowered his hand. "I apologize, Notsu. It's been a long day and my temper is short," The corners of his lips twitched slightly. "Although it did feel good to remember what it is like to come from a big family. Hard to believe, but I actually missed wanting to strangle each and every one of you."

"The point." We were all surprised to hear Kyo's voice. Of course by the time we looked in his direction, he was leisurely leaning against the wall, stifling a yawn.

Tamahome sighed, face falling. His dimple shrank, leaving his face barren of the fire he had possessed when trying to hit me. Joking and anger aside, he now looked old, used, exhausted, and worn. "I'll explain everything tomorrow. One of you check on Pup. I'm tired." Closing his eyes, he crossed the floor heading for the twin's old room.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. As good as it was to have him back, to see he still possessed the least amount of fight and fury that ran in our family's blood, I was starting to remember why I left him alone before in the first place.

Outside the sky was black and starless, the crescent moon the only light in its infinite darkness. I headed for the door—now was as good a time as any to confront Pup. After all, as long as Tamahome was staying, there would never be complete peace in our home.

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She actually surprised me this time. I was sure Pup would have jumped high into Goshinboku without giving a shit to whether or not she would be found. However, I guess Tamahome's appearance shook her more than she was willing to admit, because when I checked her favorite tree she was nowhere in sight.

I may not have been born with Inu hearing, but my nose definitely made up for it. I sniffed the air anxiously. '_Please, Pup…don't run away…'_ Easily enough I followed her scent to where it was strongest—by the old well. '_He's your brother, Pup. A 500 year gap will never change that.' _Deciding that I should at least check on her, I jumped in, feeling the familiar blue glow surround me in warmth and light.

Exiting the well-house, I noticed that the house was completely dark except for a single lighted window. Katana's room. Walking closer, I could barely hear the sound of a guitar playing. The thought brought a small grin to the corners of my lips. Long ago, Mama had tried to conquer Katana's excess energy and aggression by encouraging her to take up an instrument. After destroying a drum set, crushing a flute in her grip, and "losing" a pair of cymbals, Pup finally took up guitar, and surprisingly loved it. I always took partial credit for helping her discover her musical talent because after all, it was my idea for the five of us boys to steal those kami-be-damned cymbals and bury them deep in the earth. It was a simple accustic guitar, and she didn't play it very often, but when she did the sound was amazing.

I jumped in the tree outside her open window and looked in. Just as I suspected, she was sitting in her chair, legs propped up on her desk, absent mindedly strumming away at her six-strings. The wood of the poor instrument had claw marks all over it, the frets were starting to wear away and from what I could tell, the high A string was about to snap. Swinging one leg into the room, I knocked on the window frame to get her attention. Pup didn't even take the time to look up.

"Get out." She stated simply.

"I thought you would be in Goshinboku," I said, swinging my other leg inside. If she wasn't going to take the time to push me out the window, I wasn't going to take the time to leave. "Tamahome says 'hello-and-get-your-disrespectful-ass-back-home-now' by the way."

Ceasing her playing, Pup snapped her head up to look at me. "What?"

"Too many long words for you?"

"No but I have a few short words for him—"

"Pup, don't make this difficult. Come back."

"No fucking way."

"Look wench, I know he's an ass, but you've got to learn to ignore that. Something's wrong with him, we can feel it—"

Katana laughed bitterly. "It took you this long to realize there's something wrong with the bastard? He still thinks I'm a fucking ANIMAL, Nostu."

"So go home and prove him wrong!"

With a growl, Katana leaped out of her chair and stood so close to me our noses were almost touching. "You don't get it do you? I came here because I couldn't stand to be there! His scent is everywhere now! No matter what I do, or how I act he'll still see me the way he did when he left!" She stepped back, and took a breath, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. I could see in those damn eerie eyes of hers that she was still angry, but I didn't dare say anything just yet. Sitting on the bed, Katana rubbed her temples. "There's only one way to prove him wrong; act the way he wishes I was."

"It wouldn't kill you to try," I said quietly.

She pinned me with a determined glare, our father's scowl set in place on her face. "I will **not **pretend to be everything I despise just to please some baka's idea of an ideal woman. Least of all Tamahome's. I can't do that, Notsu. I won't."

"Then don't come home for him. Do it for the rest of us, Katana. Mama and Father need to see that we can still be a family."

"Families don't abandon one another for years on end."

"Something is seriously wrong, Pup. I don't know what it is, but Tama's hiding something and it ain't good news."

"I'll go back when I feel like going back, you baka!"

More than anything I wanted to squeeze that pretty little head of hers. I wanted to drag her back home, kicking and screaming of course, sit her down and **make **her listen. _'No, baka. That's exactly what she wants you to do. Pup is scrapping for a fight…I can't just give it to her.'_ Instead I tried another tactic, my last resort and my personal favorite—distract, inflate pride, then guilt trip her into returning down the well. It was a trick I had learned from watching Mama deal with Father when he was being difficult.

"He tried to hit me you know."

Pup's face remained stone-like, but her inu ears swiveled in my direction. I grinned. '_That got her attention.'_

"Not that I care, but why the fuck would he take a fucking swing at you? You've never been a pain in his ass before."

"He was babbling on for hours about all the youkai and humans he's had to deal with while we were all stuck here. I mentioned that an important member of the family was missing, and he went all psycho on me and lost his temper."

Katana growled a little, but I could tell her heart wasn't in it. "I don't give a shit if he thinks I'm important or not. He wouldn't know anyways. I don't need anyone sticking up for me, either."

"My job description says I'm supposed to cover your ass when you're in trouble, Pup, which if you haven't noticed, is an abused task. I'm also responsible for your protection. I have to care about you—it's in my genetic programming. I don't **have** to defend your name. I want to, and I'll take the beating…as long as you make my sacrifices worth it and **come home when I say you should!"** Flashing her with my infamous half smile, I used my claws to ruffle her hair till it looked like one giant tangle of silver thread.

Next thing I knew, her foot came out of nowhere and knocked my chin up, causing me to release my grip on her head and fall backwards onto my ass. "Fine," I heard her whisper as I popped my jaw back into place. "I'll go back. But I'm not gonna pretend I'm happy about it. I mean it, Notsu, if he gets anywhere near me, I'll punch him so hard his balls will jump back up his ass. And stop looking so fucking smug or your face will freeze like that!"

I tried to stifle my smirk as best I could, but failed. She and I both knew that she meant every word she said—but at least was sounding like her old self again. "I guess this means you'll be sleeping in the tree?"

"Keh!"

I swung one leg out the window. "C'mon, then, Wench. You can raise hell tomorrow, for now, let's get some sleep."

"Keh!"

Leaping out of the window, we headed backwards in time 500 years. When I made sure Katana was safely tucked in the branches of Goshinboku, I headed back to the hut. It was the last time I would sleep peacefully for a long time.

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**RAIDON'S P.O.V.**

There are times when I really hate being human. We can't leap great distances, we don't have super-powered hearing or ultra-sensitive noses. We can't pull a 50 year old tree up from its roots or claw down a building with one swipe. Usually, for Ronin and me, that's fine. Being mortal makes us work harder for what our siblings can easily achieve. And like any self-respecting pair of amazingly handsome men, we enjoy a good challenge. However, when our baby sister has us pinned to a tree by our throats with no intention of letting us go, we tend to wish we had some of the abilities that run in our father's blood. Sometimes I really **really **hate being human.

"Pup…ack…lil' tight…" I croaked from my position against the tree. Katana had never been a chipper person in the mornings. Being a hanyou she didn't need as much sleep as us humans, but when she did nod off she hated to be awoken. Today was no exception.

Mama wanted a family gathering with every single one of her children present—meaning some unfortunate chap would have to guard his balls and risk life and limb waking our sister from her tree. Tamahome was obviously not an option for the task, and Notsu had gone to fetch her the night before, so Tak, Kyo, Ronin and I were left to settle the matter with a manly game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Of course the loser was Ronin, and since he and I do everything together anyway, we stomped off to the forest and called her down.

However, as soon as she found out she was going to have to stand within 200 yards of Tamahome, she gripped our necks and slammed us not-too-gently against Goshinboku's rough trunk. "Listen to me carefully," she growled. "I'm only going to say this once. Keep. That. Sonofabitch. Away. From. Me." With a last tight squeeze, she released us.

I rubbed my abused throat. "Old habits die hard with you, don't they?"

"There is no way in hell—"

"Pup consider your options," Ronin cut in.

"What are you talking about, baka?"

"You can either stuff whatever grudge you're holding against Tama up your ass and come home or…" He reached inside his haori. "You can explain to Father about your little friend back at Grandmama's." From the folds of his shirt, my brother produced the picture we had taken only a few days prior of Katana and that future boy covered in paint.

Faster than I could blink, Pup had tackled Ronin to the ground, lunging for the accusing photo. Recognizing my cue I ran and snatched the item out of my brother's outstretched hand. In an instant, Katana was off Ronin's body and crouched several feet away from me, ready to spring. Her voice could barely be heard above the growl she was admitting, but the words were loud and clear. "What I do on the other side of the well is none of your kami-damned business. Now give me that picture before I rip out your spleen!"

I chuckled as she lunged and tried to knock me down. Luckily I had prepared myself for the blow and stood strong. Pup may have had better reflexes, but we had longer arms. I held the photo out at arm's length, watching with interest as she stretched her fingers trying to reach it. Ronin walked passed us and casually plucked it out of my grasp.

Flicking it between his fingers, he smirked. "There are two of us, Pup. You'll never win." Strutting over to Goshinboku he leaned against the trunk and crossed his arms. "So. What's it gonna be, Sis?"

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**RONIN'S P.O.V.**

I could see the rest of our family in the distance. Father and Tamahome were talking while Mama and our brothers brought in the rest of the firewood. As we grew closer I could hear Katana's warning growl escalating in volume, and apparently I was not the only one. Tama's head snapped in our direction, and upon seeing Katana his hand flew to hover over the hilt of his blade. I nearly laughed in disbelief. '_He really thinks that little of her,'_ I thought. _'He thinks she'll attack him on sight like some sort of rogue beast!'_ I looked back over my shoulder at my sister.

Katana walked proudly, chin raised, eyes forward. Anyone who looked at her straight would have thought she hadn't noticed her eldest brother's movement. However, being so close I could tell she saw his impulsive reflex—her growl dropped a tone, and the tips of her ears drooped. He had hurt her, and we hadn't even reached them yet.

After deciding that Pup wasn't going to try and maul him, Tamahome walked forward, arms outstretched and a small grin pasted on his face. His dimple twitched, and his eyes remained guarded against whatever attack his sister might try and pull. But he was a storyteller, our Tamahome, and storytellers are all too good at faking voices. "Katana! It's good to see you again. I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me…look at you, you've grown."

He made a move to embrace her, but she stepped back and held her hands (palms out) in front of her. "Personal space," she spat out. "I'm not really a touchy-feely type of girl."

Tama's dimple shrank and his eyes hardened. "Grown but not changed."

"I like being me," she smirked. "Can you say the same?"

Before Tamahome could snap back with a remark, Father shot between them. Shoving Katana behind him, he closed a hand on Tessaiga's hilt. "Intruders," he said by way of explanation. "And they **reek**__of my bastard brother. Kyo! Take your sister to Kaede's. Pup, stay with the hag until one of us says it's safe."

"Like hell I will!"

Kyo's hand reached up and clamped over her mouth, stifling her objection. Grabbing her wrist in his other hand, he silently proceeded to drag her towards the village.

"I'll fill you in later, Pup," Setako said as they passed. "Just leave it to Big Brother Tak. And please…for once in your life, stay in the hut. You'll only make it worse for yourself if you don't."

As Kyo pulled her away, Raidon and I turned to the approaching threat. What we saw was a surprise—horsemen galloping nearer and nearer to our village. More surprising still were the running youkai among them, beings that did not need to ride a creature to get to where they wanted to be. I felt the familiar tug of Raidon's aura at the back of my mind and I opened our link so we could speak freely. '_I don't like this, Ronin.'_

'_What do you think they want, Raidon?'_

'_Who, them? Who cares? I was talking about Tamahome.'_

I turned and looked at Raidon, who then yanked his chin in our elder brother's direction. Tamahome stood, proud and straight as ever, but what concerned me was the relieved look in his eyes at the sight of the horsemen, and it may have been my imagination, but I could have sworn for a moment he looked almost excited.

I shook my head and repositioned my stance, ready for a battle if need-be. However, my mind was no longer on the horsemen and their approach. Now the only thing going through my mind was Tamahome's face…and how he had known they were coming all along.

8888888888

**KAEDE'S P.O.V.**

I always consider it a pleasure when Inuyasha's children come to visit. It's like a free, never-ending source of entertainment. Needless to say that I was hard pressed not to laugh when the small-but-powerful Kyo managed to drag his half-wild sister, kicking and struggling against the hand that held her mouth, into my home. I could hear a string of colorful curse words erupting from Katana's lips as her brother held fast to her wrist, eyes daring her to try and break free. My mind immediately flashed to a time long ago when Inuyasha would drag Kagome in much the same manner all over Japan to search for Shikon shards. I guess some things never change.

Throwing her on the ground, Kyo examined the bite marks on the inside of his palm before striding over to the door and barking out a single word—"Stay!"—and leaving without so much as a second glance.

Now alone with the seething hanyou, I couldn't resist any longer. "What part of me being a senile old women do ye children not understand? I need my peace and quiet!"

"You'll get your chance to sleep when you're dead, Baba—you're almost there anyway!"

I pulled off a bundle of dried herbs that were hanging on the wall and smacked her upside the head with them. "Ye best learn to respect ye elders, child."

"Hag!"

I rolled my eyes. "If this old hag can hold her own against ye father, ye certainly are no threat. Enough, child—what brings ye here?"

I watched as her violet-and-gold gaze blazed with silent fury. "A group of horsemen and youkai approached our hut. Papa said they smelled like my uncle…"

"And he sent ye here." A small smile grazed my lips. "Typical Inuyasha." _'Always trying to protect what means the most to ye…'_

At that moment, Katana's control seemed to snap, and she punched the wall behind her. "I can't stay here, not when I know they're out there possibly getting their asses kicked! I am not a pup! I don't need protecting anymore!" Another punch sent the boards of the wall splintering as her fist exited to the other side.

I sighed. It wasn't the first time one of Inuyasha's offspring caused havoc to my home. "One of these days I'm going to line the walls with stone. Then you'll be sorry."

But Katana was not in the mood for jokes. Stomping over to the bamboo mat, she threw a "Keh!" over her shoulder and sprang out into the light of day. She had always hated being told what to do—it's what made her so stubborn. However, I also knew that she was extremely curious. So without waiting for her to take another step I yelled "You're still as pigheaded as you were when you were young!"

Without a sound, she reentered, eyes blazing and pierced me with a hard glare. "Better to be pigheaded than gullible."

I chuckled. "Find me some lanternflower." I watched as her eyes surveyed the room, searching for the missing herb. Finding it in a basket in a cabinet on the opposite wall, she clambered over and swiped it down, throwing it into my hand as she did so. "Do ye remember, child, when I taught you all these plants?"

"Keh. More like forced me down and pinned my ears open while you yammered on about some root or something. But yeah, I do. Still comes in handy once in a while too."

"So ye remember **what** I taught you. Do you remember **why?"**

"Because you, baba, are a sadist who takes pleasure in watching my head crack open from useless facts."

I pretended like I hadn't heard her, instead opting to grind the lanternflower into a pulp in a bowl. "I taught ye these things," I continued "because **ye asked me to.** Ye always insisted there would be a day when ye wouldn't have your brothers by your side, and ye wanted to be able to keep yourself alive."

Quickly, her expression changed from fury, to confusion. "I don't remember that."

"I wouldn't expect ye too. Ye were very young."

"What's the point, hag?"

I added some crushed powder to the mix. "The point, oh impatient-one, is that I was greatly surprised. Ye act like ye father, it's true," she looked bored and rolled her eyes. "But ye **think** like ye mother. And as long as ye have that balance, ye can never be one or the other no matter how much ye try."

"You've been sniffing too many poultices, baba. I'm like my Papa—end of story. Everyone says so."

"Do you?" I asked.

She drummed her claws on the counter in front of her. "You aren't going to let me leave, are you?" I shook my head and continued making my mixture. "Fine. Then I'm gonna get some sleep. Wake me if something happens, baba."

"As ye wish." I watched as she walked to the dark corner of the room, sat down, arms curled in the sleeves of her haori, legs crossed and head bowed, till her breathing started becoming slow and steady. _'Ye don't usually give up that easily, child. What are you planning?' _But of course, there was no answer. _'Inuyasha just wants to protect ye child because he can feel it too--the day is coming soon enough, Katana, when ye will not have anyone around to save ye, nor will ye have anyone to reign ye in when ye let go. And may Kami help whomever gets in ye way…'_

8888888888

**INUYASHA'S P.O.V.**

At the corners of my eyes, I could feel red seeping into my vision. _'How _**dare**___he. HOW _**DARE HE DO THIS!'** I was struggling to keep my breathing regular and I tightened my grip on my sword. I could barely think straight and I could tell I was growling. I was beyond pissed, and at this point, I really didn't care the least bit about being civil. All I knew was that I had been betrayed…by my own son. "So you've been lying to us," I spat.

Tamahome regarded me quietly for a moment, as if calculating what to say next. "I couldn't have lied to you, Father, if you didn't know where I was."

"All this time your mother and I thought you were out doing something with your life, and now we find you've been **working for Sesshoumaru?!"**

"I am not a pup, Father. I may do as I please. And Lord Sesshoumaru is not our enemy any longer. Whatever past the two of you share has nothing to do with me or my contributions to the Western Lands."

"Bull shit!" Tak yelled. I could see it in his eyes that he, too, was furious and ready to rip something to pieces. What I didn't see though, was any sign of surprise or shock. "This is just like you, Tama—only thinking of yourself and putting the rest of your family in danger!"

Tamahome's glare turned icy. "Don't you dare confuse me with our baka of a sister, **little** brother. Or have you forgotten your place?"

I heard the scraping of metal from wood. It was Notsu—calm, reasonable Notsu—that had unsheathed his weapon (a thin, streamline sword that he carried with him at all times). It took a lot to get Notsu in the mood for a fight, and obviously Tamahome had hit a nerve. "Setako has been a better brother than you **ever **were."

Something in my mind snapped. Even if Tamahome deserved a good ass-kicking, I couldn't let two brothers fight. I knew all too well the bitterness that came with it. "Notsu, put that down! This is not your fight!"

"Listen to your father, boy," all of us turned to the horsemen who spoke. "we're not here to fight you."

"Then why are you here? Or have you traveled all this way just to waste our time?" Raidon asked.

"They came because I told them to." Tamahome stated. "These are my men. They do as I tell them."

One of the youkai stepped forward, his jet-black hair and golden eyes shining in what was left of the evening sun. "You are Inuyasha?" he asked me.

"So what if I am?" I answered. I growled…'_Something's not right. How do they know me?' _I sniffed, and the smallest twinge of recognition pulsed in my mind. _'How do I know them?!'_

"I am Kiotusu. I've known you since you were very young," he said. He looked pained for a moment, as if a memory had been ripped from his mind. "Your father…your father was my sister's mate…"

My vision exploded with a distant memory of a man—**this** youkai—seeing my mother one night in the shadows. He had been short with her, cross…but what I remembered most was my mother's face…though she was bothered, she had trusted him…

"You're related to my bastard brother?" I asked in disbelief, "You're his uncle?"

"Yes," he replied. "Lord Sesshoumaru's mother was my sister. But more than that, I was your father's trusted friend. He did nothing without my knowledge. This is how I know you…and your mother…"

"I don't care who you knew or what you're relationship to my father was! If you work for my brother you are no friend of mine!"

"Father, stop!" Tamahome yelled. "These youkai are from the Inu Taiyoukai court. The horsemen are their guides. They were trying to find me—find you! Don't you understand? Their presence here can only mean one thing…"

"Well then someone start talking! Tamahome what the fuck are your bastards doing here!?" Ronin spat.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Kiotusu stepped forward and bowed his head to me, and I found I could not move. Something was wrong. "Inuyasha," the youkai started. "Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai Lord of the Western Lands is dead."

8888888888

**KATANA'S P.O.V.**

_***FLASHBACK***_

_**The wind whipped through my hair and clothes as I sprung from branch to branch. It was a new skill I had just learned from my father—traveling by trees. In the back of my mind, I could hear warning bells. '**_**I've gone too far,' **_**I thought **_**'The path Papa marked has disappeared…the wind has changed, it'll blow my scent away. They won't know where I am.' **

_**I wasn't allowed to travel anywhere without an escort. Usually one of my brothers was around, watching every move I made. Papa had just taught me how to leap from tree to tree, and I wanted to practice my new trick, so the twins offered to walk around below and catch me should I fall, but being the twins, they had to make it interesting—a game of hide-and-seek. I hide. They seek. I hadn't noticed how far I had run until I looked down and the trail had disappeared. **_

_**I sighed. **_**'If I go back now, I'll be in just as much trouble as if I came back later. Might as well stay out a little longer—hey, what's that?'**

_**A blob of color was weaving in and out of my sight as I scanned the ground below. Sniffing, I confirmed the blob was a human—female by her scent. As she drew closer, I could see she was a young woman, perhaps around Tak or Kyo's age in human years. Humming to herself, she continued picking flowers for who knows what reason, and I decided to simply bypass her. She was almost directly below me when I heard a sickening crack. My feet—once safely on a branch—now met only air and I fell to the floor**_**. **_**"SHHHHIIIIIIITTTT!!!!"**_

_**My body collided with something warm and soft, breaking my fall. Cursing, I made an effort to stand, only to freeze when I heard a groan coming from underneath me. '**_**Perfect. Just. Freaking. Perfect!' **_**Regaining my composure, I leapt off the woman below me, and brushed away the dust from my sleeves. Sticking my nose in the air I did my best Inuyasha impression. "Stop your complaining, woman, I'm just a kid. I didn't hit you that hard!"**_

_**Despite my harsh words, I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye to make sure she could stand. Seeing her get to her feet, I bent my knees to spring into the next tree and get the hell out of there when she called. "Wait!"**_

_**My instincts prodded me to run, just leave, the woman was fine! '**_**But…I did just fall from the sky and knock her on her ass…' "**_**What do you want, human?"**_

"_**Y-your hair…"**_

_**I stiffened. "What about it?"**_

_**The woman smiled. Up close, I could see she was pretty, with thick black hair and a smooth round face. Her eyes were clear and bright, though her kimono was a few sizes too big—obviously she was still growing into it. Still, there was something in the lightness of her approach that told me there was nothing to fear. **_

"_**Nothing…you just look a bit like someone I know…"**_

_**I gave her a dry look. "Not likely. Look, I've got to go—"**_

"_**Wait! You're a little young to be running around by yourself. Stay, and I'll take you home later. Besides, I could use the help."**_

_**I bared my fangs. This woman was starting to get on my nerves. I wasn't used to other people being so casual about my appearance. Growling lightly, I turned my back to her. "I'm not interested in wasting my time—" I sniffed. **_

'**What the hell is that?!' **_**sniffing again, I had just enough time to confirm the existence of the youkai before it rose out of a pile of leaves and dirt on the ground little more than 20 feet away. **_**'With all that crap covering it, no wonder I couldn't smell its scent!' **_**The spider beast was twice as big as I was, and its eight hairy legs were lined with spikes. Poison oozed from its fanged jaw, and by the murderous look in its eight ruby eyes, it knew how to use them. **_

_**The salty smell of tears assaulted my nose, and I risked a glance at the human. She was shaking from head to foot, the beginnings of tears spiking her eyelashes as she stared at the youkai with a terrified gaze. **_**'She'll never be able to take this thing alone…' **_**Perhaps it was the sight of her crying, or the way the spider was just standing there, contemplating the best way to devour both of us. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush or the surging need to protect that ran through my family's blood. But whatever the reason, I knew I had to save this girl. **_

_**It was then that the creature spoke. "One more step and the girl would have fallen into my hole. You've ruined my meal, worthless half-breed, and now you shall die as well!" It sprang. **_

_**Leaping to the side, I collided my shoulder with the woman's stomach, knocking us both some feet away from where the thing now stood—where we **_**once **_**stood—and jumped to my feet again in front of the weeping human. "RUN, STUPID!" I screamed.**_

_**Not daring to turn around, I heard her whimper "I can't! My leg!" when the spider once again took a giant leap in our direction. **_

_**Thinking fast, I reached behind me and grabbed her kimono, shouting "Hold on!" before I heaved with all the strength I had and jumped high into the trees above. Landing on a branch, I pulled her up to sit near the trunk. '**_**Stupid, worthless, good for nothing human!'**

_**Risking the chance to examine her legs, I saw several spikes imbedded into her flesh from the back of her knee to the side of her ankle. Her blood was seeping from the edges of the wounds, and I couldn't help it when my ears drooped. "He shoots them from his legs!" the woman cried. "If you hadn't pushed me I would probably be dead—"**_

_**Suddenly the tree shook, forcing us to grab the bark to keep from falling. The spider had found our hiding spot and was attempting to climb up to get us. "You cannot escape me so easily!" it cried. Turning, it shot out a string of white gook from its behind into the air. The string managed to hit the branch we were currently residing on, and to our horror, stuck. A snarling cackle could be heard from below and I was helpless to do anything but watch as the beast started to climb up the make-shift rope. **_

_**The girl behind me shifted, trying to disappear into the trunk behind her. The stench of her tears got stronger, and I finally could not take it anymore. '**_**I have to do **something!' _**Carefully balancing my weight, I crawled on all fours to where the spider was climbing.**_** 'Please work…!'**_** Gathering my strength, I raised my right hand and swiped, cutting the sticky rope holding the youkai up. Unfortunately, by releasing it from the tree, it now clung to my fingers. **_

"_**Nooo!" the youkai screamed as it fell, taking me down with it. Landing hard on its back, the creature writhed beneath me as I landed on its stomach. Before I could even scream, the thing rolled over and pinned me beneath its massive body, staring down at me with its blood red eyes. "Now you will suffer twice as much for making me lose that human, you weakling!"**_

"_**Not a fucking chance!" I screamed. Raising my hand again I turned my head away as I felt my claws rip through the flesh of the spider's face. It roared, slinking back in agony and allowing me to crawl a good distance away. Surveying the damage, I felt a twinge of pride in seeing my claw marks raked over four of its damned eyes. Blood dripped from my fingertips and my kimono top was ripped, but I didn't care. The beast may have thought I was weak, but I refused to die so easily. **_

_**The youkai was regaining composure quickly—I had to find something, **__anything__** that would work as a weapon. Whipping my head around, I searched the forest floor. '**_**The tree branch! From when I fell! That'll have to do…' **_**I scrambled over and grabbed for the limb, slicing away the leaves with my claws. **_

_**Holding my weapon, I felt something stir in my chest. It wasn't pride or fear. It wasn't anything I had ever truly felt before…this was something different. '**_**The will to survive…' **_**my mind whispered. I looked in the trees above to see the woman I had saved, staring down at me, her eyes wet with tears and pain. **_**'I'm tired of playing defense!' **

_**Before I knew what I was doing, I sprinted forward and headed straight for the spider, branch raised like a club. A cry ripped from my throat and I jumped, bringing down the limb and hitting the beast with all my might. I heard a sickening crunch as its skull shattered under the blow. Despite myself I smirked. **_**'If Papa could see me now…'**

_**In the split second it took me to imagine my father's face, the spider let out a roar and swiped me in the stomach with one of his giant legs. I flew, back hitting a tree and sliding down its length. It hurt…DAAAAAMMMMNNN how it hurt….Everything HURT……**_

_**A rustling noise caused me to force my eyes open, and I gagged as the spider pinned me to the tree by pressing a leg to my throat, leaving me to gasp for air. "This…half-breed…is where…you DIE!" it screamed, adding pressure to the leg crushing my neck. **_

_**My vision exploded in dots, and I vaguely remember thinking that it was weakened and I should fight back…I had to fight back…had to get home, to tell Papa…Papa…Papa… **_

_**Warmth spread throughout my chest, running down my arms, and through my fingers. My legs and head felt heavy, but at the moment, I could not find the will to care. I needed to get home. What would my brothers do without me? **_

_**I slowly lifted my head. The spider's face was so close it was almost touching mine, and the thought sent a disgusted shudder down my spine. Somewhere, from deep within I pulled a little strength together and managed to choke out "Get…ack….away…from me!" In one last attempt to save my pathetic life, I raised my claws and jammed them straight into one of the creature's remaining eyes. **_

_**The beast screamed in agony, wrenching away from me and trying desperately to dislodge my fingers from its eye. '**_**Oh, no you don't! This ends NOW!' **_**Gulping for air, I rammed my hand deeper into the eye, clawing at the inside walls of the head as I did so. My hand brushed against something squishy—'**_**The brain!'—**_**and I clawed at that too, pinning my ears to my hair as the spider roared. **_

"_**Stop!" it cried "It burns!" **_

'**Burns?!' **_**I thought. '**_**I'm clawing at this guy's brains and he's complaining that it burns?!' **_**With a yank, I pulled my arm back and out of the creature's head, flicking off blood as I did so. **_

_**Finally free, the youkai fell and spasmed, still screaming in pain. Then it stilled, quieted, and sighed its last breath. Its legs curled into its body with sickening crunches. Waiting until I could smell the stench of death over its body, I dropped to my knees and gulped great mouthfuls of air. Somewhere behind me I could hear the woman in the tree praising my victory. **_

_**Using a handful of leaves, I made a feeble attempt to wipe the spider blood off my arm. If Papa knew I was covered in guts, he would go on a rampage. But how would he react knowing I had just won my first battle? Sure, I had witnessed fights before—but usually my brothers, father, mother, Sango, Miroku, hell even Kaede were the ones in the middle of the action, leaving me to watch from the sidelines. My father and brothers had taught me how to duck, punch, claw, kick, regain balance, block, fall backwards, use various weaponry, and all that shit. But I don't think they ever actually expected to **__use __**it…**_

_**My head hurt. I seriously needed a nap. "Are you ok?" I heard the woman yell. **_

"_**Just peachy," I spat. "Stay up there. I'll check around to make sure the dead thing doesn't have any friends." I stood and sniffed, hoping beyond all hope that the worst was over and I could return home. After all, I was just a kid! But as soon as I took in a whiff of air…**_

"_**Shit there's another youkai!" I yelled. "What is this, beat up the hanyou day?!"**_

_**The woman had managed to stand, if unstably, on the branch I had placed her on, and was squinting to the distance to see what kind of an opponent we would be encountering next. Her face broke into a smile, and she sunk back down on the branch, sitting and waving her arms wildly. "Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru, we're over here!" she cried.**_

"_**You idiot, don't call it over---!" I hissed as a very tall and regal looking youkai appeared out of the brush. He was dressed in armor and silks, a giant fluffy thing slung over one of his shoulders. But what freaked me out was his silver hair and golden eyes…just like my father. I touched my temple right next to my own golden eye…He was just like me…**_

"_**Lord Sesshoumaru! You've found us!" the girl cried. "We were attacked by a youkai…this girl saved me…"**_

'**Sesshoumaru? Where have I heard that name?' **_**I wondered. I was still on edge from my fight with the spider beast and was not in a trusting mood. More than anything I just wanted to get home. But I found I couldn't turn away…**_

_**Sesshoumaru stayed silent, calmly surveying the damage. His eyes first regarded the woman in the tree, then flowed down to the floor and lingered where the spider corpse lay, and finally came to a stop on me. The surprise in his eyes made me clench my fists. Walking over to the tree where the girl was still placed, he jumped and landed beside her. Gathering her in his arms, he hopped back down and examined her leg without a trace of emotion.  
**_

"_**Jaken." He said. Automatically another disturbance was heard several feet away in the growth of the forest, and out clambered a toad youkai creature with a small staff holding three heads. '**_**Obviously not the most graceful of beings,'**_** I thought. "Take Rin away. I need to speak with the little one. Alone."**_

"_**But Lord Sesshoumaru—" The toad shifted his weight from foot to foot as Sesshoumaru turned and pinned him with an icy glare. "V-very well milord. Rin, come with me." The woman—Rin, I guess her name was—leaned on the toad for support and together they limped away into the forest growth, leaving me completely alone with the one they called Lord Sesshoumaru. **_

_**I froze, wondering what the hell was going on. This man was obviously a powerful youkai, so why hadn't he killed me yet? What worried me more was that he didn't seem the least bit interested in hurting me. He simply stared, absorbing me with those golden eyes, calculating his next move. I couldn't take it anymore—if no one was going to tell me what was going on, I was going to find out for myself. **_

_**Growling loudly and shifting my feet into a more defensive stance, I remembered something my father had taught me: Always be cautious, but NEVER back down. I couldn't let this fluffy-pretty-boy know how freaked out I really was. So instead, I raised my chin, popped my knuckles, and said "Well, what do you want with me?"**_

_**For a moment, he didn't answer. Just when I thought I should make a break for it and sprint toward home, I heard his voice, no more than a whisper. "So…you're his little one." He took a step forward, causing me to take one back. "You look exactly like him…"**_

"_**What are you talking about? I don't belong to anyone!" I hissed. "What the hell is going on? Why do you look like me? What are you going to do to that woman?" **_

"_**You would do well to hold your tongue, half-breed. You are speaking to the Taiyoukai Lord of the Western Lands."**_

"_**Is that supposed to mean something to me?"**_

"_**It means, young one, that it is well within my right to kill you for trespassing and showing contempt for those above your stature."**_

"_**You've had the opportunity. If you hold such power, why am I still alive?"**_

_**I made the mistake of blinking. In that tiny space of time, Sesshoumaru had nearly closed the gap between us. I took another step back, only to find hard wood behind me. I was trapped. All I could do was growl and stare as his clawed hand reached out to me, as if to brush my bangs. "You really don't know who I am, do you?" he asked—and to my surprise he sounded genuinely shocked. **_

_**I panicked. "You're a fucking bastard is who you are!" swinging blindly, I slapped his hand away, slicing a thin line on his perfect skin. **_

_**A single drop of blood beaded on the side of his thumb where my claw had collided with his flesh. Withdrawing his arm, Sesshoumaru stepped back, his gaze turning icy. "You're father is a hanyou named Inuyasha," he stated. "Your mother is a miko human. Your brothers, all but two, are hanyou. Just like you."**_

_**By this time, my feeble attempt at a tough composure had cracked. '**_**H-he knows about me…my f-family…I've heard his name before, but where?!' **_**I began to shake, and somewhere in the back of my mind promised myself that if I made it out of this mess alive, I would never wander this far away from home again. "Who. Are. You?" I asked.**_

_**Taking another step back, Sesshoumaru reached down and grasped the hilt of one of his swords. The sound of metal scraping wood could be heard as a regal looking weapon was drawn from its scabbard. This was it—he was going to kill me. I shut my eyes and bowed my head, waiting for the blow. None ever came. **_

_**Risking a glance from behind my bangs, I could see Sesshoumaru holding the sword out in front of him, patiently (or at least I hoped patiently, I couldn't tell) waiting for me to open my eyes. Seeing I was now paying attention, he straightened his back. "This, girl, is Tensaiga, the sword of life. Made by my father, once a great Inu Taiyoukai, it has one counterpart. You know it well. Tensaiga's one and only match is none other than Tessaiga, the weapon held at your father's side."**_

_**My blood turned cold. "B-but Tessaiga was made from—"**_

"_**The fang of your grandfather, the Inu Taiyoukai Lord of the Western Lands. Your father's father…and mine."**_

_**My head was spinning. '**_**I have an UNCLE?! Wait…he's a whole youkai. Half uncle…' **_**my mind screamed, however, on the outside I simply put on a bored frown. Sesshoumaru was still talking, and I had to keep focused.**_

"_**I had heard rumors my baka brother had had yet another whelp—a girl. I thought they were lies. Obviously he hasn't told you about your true heritage. What is your name, hanyou?"**_

_**I contemplated lying to him. I contemplated shouting 'Sue' or 'Brittney' or 'Lani,' but found I just couldn't. Whether I wanted to believe him or not, there was something about this man that had me convinced that despite all the confusing shit he was feeding me, he was indeed family. "Katana."**_

_**It was so slight I barely saw it. The twitching of the corners of his lips, the quick glance at the now-healed slice through his thumb. "Fitting," he said. "for a whelp that just protected a grown human woman. Not only do you look like my brother, but you're determined to make the same mistakes he did."**_

"_**What difference does it make if she's human?"**_

"_**She is not of our kind, hanyou."**_

"_**So?"**_

"_**We look out for our own."**_

"_**That's stupid." Even he did not have time to hide his surprise at my blunt comment. "I don't give a rat's ass as to 'what' a person is. I care about 'who' a person is. Rin was kind to me, so I protected her. Besides," I added with a smirk "I'm a youkai and a human. I was looking out for my own."**_

_**The contempt that once outlined Sesshoumaru's eyes disappeared, and for a split second I could see surprise, awe, and annoyance flicker back at me before once again he was unreadable. **_

"_**You are nothing but a pup. How did you manage to kill that youkai?"**_

_**I shrugged. "Whacked him with a stick. Clawed out his eyes. Punched him in the face. Messed with his brains. He kept complaining about something burning…"**_

_**If he heard me, he gave no sign of recognition. Turning, he walked over to the corpse and quickly slammed his heel into what was left of its head that had not been crushed by my earlier blows. I watched as his face twisted from apathy to confusion as he beckoned me over with a clawed finger. "I think I know what burned," he said.**_

_**Thick black, gray, and white ash slithered out of the skull, some pieces of the brain still smoking. It was as if someone had lit the inside of the spider's head on fire and cooked it to dust. It was then I remembered the warm feeling that had erupted within me right before attacking the beast…**_

"_**I did that?" I asked. **_

_**Sesshoumaru did not answer. He simply turned his back on me and started walking in the direction he had sent his companions down before. "I am in debt to you for protecting my human. Do not tell Inuyasha about anything that happened here. And Katana," he added just before he disappeared. "I advise you to remember that your mother was a miko." Then just as quietly as he appeared, he was gone.**_

_**As for me, I took a few deep breaths, brushed myself off, and sprinted the rest of the way home.**_

_***END FLAHSBACK***_

**8888888888**

My eyes snapped open. Recognizing that I was still in Kaede's hut, I stretched. '_The first and last time I had ever met my Uncle Sesshy…' _I thought '_My first real battle too. Wonder what's taking Papa and the others so long?' _On the journey home that day, I had stopped by a stream and washed off the excess blood and dust that had erupted from my fight. The water also helped to cover any trace of Rin or Sesshoumaru from my skin. True to my word, I had never told Papa about our meeting.

Every once in a while I would hear Papa or one of my brothers or even Sango or Miroku speak of the youkai lord, but I pretended not to listen. It was obvious that I was never supposed to know I even had an uncle, though everyone else seemed completely in the loop. Usually I thought nothing of it.

But as I grew, I noticed more and more the similarities between Sesshoumaru and Tamahome. Both held themselves with a type of arrogant grace, both were lanky but strong. Calm, controlled and complete assholes, I decided I didn't need to know about Sesshoumaru—I had his duplicate at my side anyway. Of course, he and my brother were never as alike as my father and me…that was still a mystery even to the two of us.

Looking at the sun, I was surprised to see that my family had been out for at least a couple hours. Kaede was nowhere to be found, probably off picking herbs or shooting arrows at a couple village boys spying on women changing or something of the like. I wandered to the bamboo mat separating the room from the outside, flipped it over and sniffed. No traces of blood or sweat, so there was no reason to think that the intruders had started a fight with my father. I did sense some extreme anger though—a lot of tension. Something was wrong.

'_I can either get in the middle of this now, or I can leave and hear about it later,' _I thought. '_Well, at least if I leave the hut, I'll be getting yelled at for something I actually did instead of just meddling in other people's business. I'll probably hear about the problem later anyway, and I don't I can always ask Notsu. He tells me everything.'_ Making a quick decision, I ran towards the old well. No one was around to stop me—now was as good a time as any to visit Kiko and Marsu. After all, I had a promise to keep.

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**INUYASHA'S P.O.V.**

I couldn't move. My body had gone completely numb, hand still frozen on Tessaiga's hilt. '_Sesshoumaru. Dead? No…That bastard is too much of an ass to ever die…'_ I shook my head and growled, regaining the feeling in my limbs. "Prove it," I snarled.

Kiotusu blinked at me, then strode over to one of the horses. From a large pack on the animal's side, he pulled out a long bundle wrapped in silk. Walking forward, he carefully pealed back the layers of cloth to reveal Tensaiga in all its glory. Lying on top of the sword were two scrolls, both holding the Tayoukai wax seal, only one still unopened. "Proof enough for you?" Kiotusu asked.

I turned my head away, unable to even look at the sword. It was just so wrong—not being attached to the side of a powerful, condescending bastard. It was then that another thought occurred to me, sending a cold chill down my spine. '_If Sesshoumaru is dead…that means that I…I…By youkai rule of law…the Western lands…'_ I couldn't finish my thoughts, nor did I want to, so instead I concentrated on the questions rising in my mind.

"How?"

Kiotusu sighed. "Murder."

I stiffened, as did all of my boys. I risked a glance at Tamahome, who looked both genuinely surprised and at the same time, completely composed, sucking thoughtfully at the dimple on his cheek.

"Well, half murder," Kiotusu added. "My Lord had been ill for a long while."

"That's bull shit! Youkai don't get sick!"

"Not with human illnesses. But there had been a battle many years ago with some strange youkai from across the sea. Lord Sesshoumaru was infected by their means." Kiotusu bowed his head. "He was finally killed by poisoning. Because he was already ill, his body could not defeat the toxin in time."

I tightened my grip on Tessaiga's hilt. "Who did this?" I asked through clenched teeth.

The older Inuyoukai swallowed, hiding his eyes behind his dark hair. "Rykoteson, Taiyoukai Lord of the Southern Lands."

I growled. The southern lands were dangerous territory, filled with storms, jagged mountains and a large desert. It was a wasteland, dark and avoided if necessary. The Southern peoples had never had good relations with the other territories, but never had they gone so far as to attempt to kill another leader.

"There's more," Kiotusu cut in. "The Southern Lord has now declared war on the Western Lands, and should he succeed there will be nothing to stop him from taking the North and East as well."

Tamahome took this moment to speak up. "Then he shall not succeed. Not while we're here."

"He will if we do not have someone to lead us!" Kiotusu spat. He turned his eyes down to Tensaiga, still nestled snuggly in its silk bed. "Lord Sesshoumaru personally commanded that if anything were to happen to him, I was to deliver Tensaiga to his successor. The new ruler of the Western Lands."

My mouth went dry and my hands started to shake as uncontrollable shivers stared racing down my spine. '_By youkai law…the successor must be by blood…Me…'_

Kiotusu reached down and lifted one of the scrolls lying on Tensaiga—the one with the broken seal. "This," he said "is Lord Sesshoumaru's will. His last remaining word." His eyes met mine and I could see how difficult it was for him to talk about my bastard of a brother this way. '_He had obviously respected the asshole.'_

Still holding my gaze, Kiotusu continued. "By youkai law, the rule of the Taiyoukai may only be passed to those within the royal line. There is always a natural heir—you, Inuyasha."

I didn't know what to say or do, so I stepped forward. Now was not the time to be afraid. It was my right—by blood and by fate, whether I liked it or not. This was my burden to bear. I held out my hands to receive Tensaiga, waiting to feel its weight in my fingertips.

Kiotusu took a step back, still holding the scroll and sword. "But this heir can be surpassed if the current Lord leaves word that he has chosen a different successor."

No one spoke, or even breathed for a moment. '_What the HELL is he talking about?!?' _my mind screamed. '_What other heir IS THERE for the throne?'_

Then a whisper came from behind me, a voice I couldn't even try to ignore. "Sometimes the heir has to be someone the Lord trusts. Someone he knows will keep order." And with that last word, Tamahome stepped forward, raising his chin and extending his hand to take the sword from Kiotusu. My own son—nothing but a traitor…

I could hear my other sons all growl and gasp, obviously as shocked as I was. So this was what he had been doing these two past years. Kissing my brother's ass, hoping to gain a position of power. A position that was never his to take.

Just as he was about to touch the Tensaiga, though, Kiotusu took another step back, unrolling the scroll in his hand. "My apologies to you both for the misunderstanding. But my Lord has chosen someone else." He looked down at the scroll and cleared his throat reading Sesshoumaru's words. "The one I have chosen to inherit my wealth, lands and power is the only being I have ever met that possesses the heart to wield such a burden. The balance of two worlds is found in their voice. I am convinced that my father would have wanted my heir to see the fearlessness I have seen in this being and therefore may the glory of the Western Lands be at their back, and the honor of their blood be set in Tensaiga."

Hearing my brother's words I felt my blood freeze over. I couldn't understand what Kiotusu was saying, but somewhere in the back of my mind I felt my sanity crack, piece by piece. '_No…'_

Obviously Tamahome had snapped out of his shock, because a primal growl erupted from his throat. I could see from the corner of my eye his hair bristle and his hands clench—he was furious, and Kami help whomever got in his way. "Who?" he growled "If not me, then who—who is this righteous chosen one?!"

Kiotusu did not answer. He calmly brushed off Tamahome's harsh words and instead looked to me, meeting my eyes with a determined look. Then like serpents, words slithered out of his mouth, and as if in slow motion I heard him ask the one thing I dreaded more than anything else in the world.

"Where is your daughter, Inuyasha?"

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A/N: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA CLIFFY!!! Once again, yall, I am SOOOOO freakin sorry for the wait!!! I never meant to be this long with the update, but I kinda had major writer's block for like a month, then when I finally knew what I wanted to do, I couldn't figure out how to get there…anyway I hope this really really long chapter makes up for it! Finally the plot is underway, yes!!! I apologize to any Sesshy fans out there—I know my Sesshoumaru was a bit OOC when he was alive, and then I just had to kill him off. I, too, am a Sesshy fan, so I'm sorry this is a bit of a surprise. Ok, yall, I guess that's it! You know the drill—READ AND REVIEW! FLAMES WELCOME!


	7. The Promises We Make

A/N: Hey guys! Ok, so I have a confession—I'm kinda disappointed in how few responses I'm getting for my story. I realize that it's an uncommon plot, but please, guys, if you do look at my story, don't just favorite it, ok? Drop me a review or something! You have no idea how encouraging it is for me. To those of you who have been reviewing, I want to thank yall sososososo much! I've enjoyed all the comments! Ok, well enough of that. It's time to get the ball rolling!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Dammit.

talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

Chapter 7: The Promises We Make

**KYO'S P.O.V.**

It had been at least three hours and Father still hadn't spoken a word. We were all gathered together by the fire in our family hut, no one daring to look anyone else in the eye. Mama had been listening from the doorway since the very beginning of the horsemen's approach, and knew the whole story; we were all just grateful we didn't have to repeat any of it. Instead of prodding us with questions, she kept herself busy making us all tea and stoking the fire. I leaned against the doorway, stretching my neck, and gazing at the spot on the horizon where Tamahome and his men had left.

Yes, they had gone. All the horsemen, all the random youkai, Kiotusu, and—to put it mildly—a fucking pissed beyond all senses of reason Tamahome had headed back to the Western Lands directly after the announcement of the next Taiyoukai lord had been made. Tama had actually wanted to stay, fight, scream, and in short throw a hissy fit, but there had been a clause in the will stating that although Sesshoumaru was indeed dead, his last request from Tama would be to return to the palace and make preprations for the burial. So with a pair of white-knuckled fists, my eldest brother stomped off to fulfill his position in my uncle's employment once more.

All that was left to show for the appearance of Sesshoumaru's men were the scroll with the seal yet to be unbroken, and to our surprise, the mighty Tenseiga—both of which were now placed at the table directly in front of where Father sat, staring into space. Kiotusu had wanted to present the sword to my sister personally, but one look from Father (or any of us brothers for that matter) and he wisely reconsidered. With very little time to spare and the Southern army preparing to attack, he said that he would be willing to leave Tenseiga in Inuyasha's care as long as he secured its ownership to its new, true master—his first and only daughter, Katana.

Father had nodded mutely and was just about to accept the blade when Kiotusu handed him the unread scroll instead. "This alone is your inheritance. It is a personal letter from your brother," His eyes flicked to Tamahome who was currently seething and obviously ready to explode. "For your eyes alone, Inuyasha." After Father had safely pocketed the scroll in his haori, Kiotusu carefully handed him the Tenseiga. "Tell your daughter that my men and I will serve her as we did her grandfather and uncle, and time permitting her descendents as well. I leave you in peace, Inuyasha."

'_What a lie,' _I thought. '_As if any of us will ever have any peace after all that has happened.' _I couldn't stop picturing Tamahome's face in my mind's eye. His expression when he was told he had been surpassed by Katana…his disappointment at not getting exactly what he wanted—what he thought he **deserved**—had sent a shiver up my spine. He had looked ready to kill.

'_So what do we do now?'_ I pondered. '_According to the wind's direction, Pup disappeared down the well for a while. She shouldn't have snuck off, but for once I'm glad she did. She can't know about her new position. She'd go ballistic!'_

I was pulled out of my musings by the sound of a fist smacking wood. Tak growled and slammed his fist into the wall again. "Enough of this shit! Father just read the letter already! Pup will be back any minute. She doesn't know about Sesshoumaru—she doesn't have any idea the danger she's in! If any demon were to hear of a young, wild, **female hanyou** ascending the throne of one of the most powerful lords in the land, she'd be attacked instantly! Snap out of it and help us figure out how to deal with the situation!" he cried.

A long silence followed, even more intense than the last, when we heard Father's voice. It was a whisper so low, we very nearly missed it. "No…"

Grabbing the scroll, Father stuffed it into the belt of his hakama and lifted Tenseiga to eye level. "There is nothing that bastard could ever say to me that would repair the damage he's done to my past. Right now we have a bigger problem—how to keep Katana safe." He turned to each of us and in turn met our eyes. "Here is what we are going to do. I will remain the keeper of the Tenseiga. When your sister gets home, we tell her about Sesshoumaru and his death. We'll say that the next ruler of the Western Lands has to be related by blood and be seen fit to rule. She'll immediately assume it's me, and we will not confirm her guess, nor will we deny it."

"But Inuyasha what will you do about the war? We can't very well hide **that **from her. Besides, Kiotusu is counting on us to fight alongside him. Won't he notice if his appointed leader is missing?" Mama asked. She had moved to rub Father's shoulders in a futile attempt to keep him relaxed.

I could see the wheels in my father's brain turning over and over as his ears twitched thoughtfully. "No, he won't. We'll tell Kiotusu that Katana is searching for the other youkai lords to gain their alliance and has left me in charge of her stead. Tenseiga will act as proof of that fact."

It was the twin's turn to speak up; the two had been strangely silent until now, but in perfect unison they managed to ask the question that was currently on everybody's mind. "Where will Pup be during all of this?"

Father scowled and looked at the floor, bangs covering his golden eyes. "I made a promise long ago to keep her safe. Katana will never see war. My daughter will stay in the once place she will always be safe."

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**KATANA'S P.O.V.**

I groaned as I opened my closet at Grandmama's house. '_What happened to all my old clothes? The ones _without _ruffles?!? And why is everything pink?!?' _I sighed and searched for something—anything—that resembled the outfit I had worn the last time I had returned to the future. Sadly, with the weather getting warmer lately, my grandmother had obviously taken the opportunity to buy me some girly clothes. Not that I was against looking like a girl…but I drew the line at lacy frills. There some forms of torture that were just too evil to be considered.

Finally, I decided upon a dark denim skirt that came down to my knees and a deep purple T-shirt. I hated exposing skin when it was not necessary. Searching for a belt, I discovered some gray suspenders behind a couple cardboard boxes in my closet. '_Now _these _I could use. Must have been part of one of Uncle Souta's suits or something.' _Smirking, I clipped the bands to my skirt and slid my shoulders into the loops. If I had to be wearing a skirt, I could at least make it badass. I was in the middle of pulling my hair into a messy ponytail (over my ears) when my grandmother knocked on the door.

"What's up?" I asked as I tugged a green bandana into place over my head. Grandmama had a sparkle in her eye as she looked at me, and I could tell she was impressed by my make-shift outfit.

"I knew you would be a little disappointed by the new items in your closet. Your sense of style is certainly different from what your mother's was. Still, I had to try. But I figured I should get at least one thing I knew you would like, so…" Grandmother trailed off. From behind her back she produced a large black shoebox. "These were expensive, so I can't buy you a pair every time you come home, but just get a lot of wear out of them and we'll call it even, ok?"

I took the package and blinked. I hated—no, **despised** shoes. She knew that. Opening the box, I pushed the tissue paper aside. '_What was Grandmama thinking? There isn't a pair of shoes on earth that are comfortable enough that I would willingly…put…on…'_ My mind slowed to a crawl as I touched the most beautiful pair of boots I had ever seen. Black suede, they looked like they came up to just below my knees. There was a subtle flower pattern in black thread lining the side, giving them a feminine flair. However, what was really impressive were the pointed, steel toes and steel 4-inch heels. '_I could do so much damage in these!'_ I ran to my dresser and in one move, threw on a pair of socks, sat on the bed and zipped the boots onto my feet.

'_I still hate shoes…but I guess these aren't so bad.'_ Smiling, I stood and hugged my grandmother. "Thanks, Grandmama. These are awesome! But are you sure they're worth the money?"

"You are my only granddaughter. I get to spoil you. It's the first rule in the Grandmother's Handbook."

I smirked and clicked my heels together, enjoying the sound of metal hitting metal. "Ok, well, I'm gonna go see Marsu and Kiko. I'll be back in a little while."

"Wait, that's right! Kiko came by earlier to see you, dear. She said she was invited to a friend's wedding and would be gone for a few days. She did leave a letter for you though. I put it by the phone. And she also said that Marsu has taken on a new project—metalwork I think." Grandmama rolled her eyes. "He is working at a new studio that allows him to work with heat and more advanced tools. She left directions for you—also by the phone."

I sighed. I had hoped to talk to Kiko and figure out some sort of schedule or something so we could see each other on a regular basis. Though I usually hated planning things ahead of time, I had made a promise to see them both more often, and it was a promise I was going to keep. '_Guess I'll just have to talk to Marsu. And maybe this time, I can keep my clothes clean.' _Smirking, I thanked my grandmother and ran downstairs and out the door, my metal-lined boots clicking on the pavement as I followed the directions to Marsu's new studio.

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"I cannot believe this," I muttered. The directions had led me to an abandoned auto mechanic shop that had obviously been turned into a junkyard for displaced metal pieces. The landscape was placed in a deserted lot, overgrown with dead grass, weeds, and bugs. Random tires served as fire-rings, some still smoking. Water pales were dispersed everywhere and I could distinctly here the sound of a hammer on metal ringing from the back of the old shop. '_What a rust bucket.' _I thought.

"Hey, Michelangelo!" I cried. "You baka, what are you doing out here? "

The hammer stopped and from the rotting doorway of the auto shop a greasy, grimy head stuck out. "Katana? Is that you? C'mon in, you'd love this! I'm smashing things with hammers!" I saw him raise an eyebrow, teasing me, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"If I ruin my new boots by walking through this dump, you're gonna regret it."

Entering through the doorway, I looked around the shop. Most of the equipment for working on cars had been cleared away, leaving a large tarp-covered space. A giant pile of scrap metal, sanded so the rust came off, was in one corner. What really surprised me though was the make shift furnace—fire ablaze inside. Spokes, hammers, and metal tongs were lying inside the flames, glowing red with heat. Several water buckets were lying around, as well as a large iron anvil. In the corner opposite the furnace, a giant sheet covered a mountain of what I could only assume were Marsu's current sculptures. The entire building smelt of sweat, smoke, metal, and coffee. Aside from the initial first impression, it was actually quite impressive.

I turned back to Marsu to see him wiping his hands on an already dirty rag, soot and sweat covering his face. He was wearing a red flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off to show his muscled arms and a pair of ripped jeans. I forced my gaze upward to his eyes, and perked my ears to hear what he was saying. "I was just in the middle of a smaller project. Sorry Kiko couldn't be here, but one of the bridesmaids in the wedding party got food poisoning and the bride needed her to fill in."

"Whatever. Why did you move over here, anyway? What was wrong with your old studio—or the living room for that matter?" I smirked. "Don't tell me you've given up finger-painting and decided to get a real job?"

Now it was Marsu's turn to smirk—and I didn't like it in the least. His eyes sparked with mischief and he reached for a container of crude oil sitting on the anvil. "This _is_ my job," he said. Pouring oil over his fingers, he turned his caught my eye, causing me to back up a few steps. "And as for finger-painting, I could use a new canvas."

I barely managed to bite back my growl. "Don't even think about it, Sparky." I backed up another step only to find myself up against the sheet-covered mountain—I had to think fast. Before Marsu could get a hold of me, I tried to sidestep and sprint for the door. But just as I was about to reach freedom, I felt a tug on those damn suspenders I had put on, and a second later found myself colliding with a warm chest.

I bit the inside of my cheek to suppress my surprised yelp—Marsu and I had been in close corridors before, but never with my back pressed against his chest with his arms locked around my waist. '_Well…this is awkward…'_ I didn't have time to dwell on my thoughts though, because in my hesitation to struggle Marsu brought one oily hand up to my face and proceeded to smear my cheeks and nose with grime.

He laughed, the vibrations running deep and resonating through my back. "Too slow, loser!" he ground out between chuckles.

I twisted my head to glare at him. "You cheated! You grabbed me!"

"Yeah, thanks for providing the handles."

I actually did growl at that. "You are so gonna pay. Let me go so I can show you a fair fight, you coward."

He looked at the ceiling and clicked his tongue. "No." With a finger, he tweaked my nose and reached down to capture one of my wrists. "I don't give a crap about what's fair; I do have some self preservation skills. Besides," I gasped as he buried his nose in my hair—I hadn't even realized it had come free of its ponytail. "you smell good." He whispered.

I wanted to push him away. I **should** have pushed him away. I should have ground my steel heel into his toes and wriggled free. But standing there, the hand on his arm pinning me against his body gently flexing against my waist, his other hand holding my wrist idly tracing circles on the inside of my palm, and his face hiding itself in my hair, I could only make out one coherent if sloppy thought: _'He's so warm…'_

"How long?" he asked, his voice muffled by my thick mane.

My mind had gone a bit hazy, and I had to mentally slap myself over the head to remind myself to keep him away from my ears. Covered by a bandana or not, it would definitely destroy the moment if he noticed two triangular appendages on top of my scalp. So instead I wracked my brain for what he could referring to. "No idea what you're talking about."

His hands moved to my shoulders, still keeping me from turning to face him. I heard him take a deep breath and wondered what could be freaking him out this much. "How long till you take off again without saying goodbye?"

'_What the hell?!? I thought we were past this!' _I tore free of his grasp and spun around. "How dare you! What right do you have to think I'm just going to up and abandon you guys? How can you even ask something like that?!"

Marsu frowned. "Fine. I'll rephrase the question. **When **you decide to take off, **how long** will you be gone this time?"

I clenched my fists at my sides. "I can't believe you. I made you and Kiko a promise. If you think I'm going to just disappear overnight, then you don't know me at all." '_My voice…why do I sound so hurt? Why do I _feel_ so hurt?'_

Instead of lashing out like I was expecting him to, Marsu sighed and shook his head as a small grin spread on his face. "You don't get it do you? I say these things because I **do** know you! Admit it, you never stay in one place for long, and when you do you're miserable. I know you want to keep your promise to me and Kiko, but let's face it. You can't. You're too wild. You're too independent, too unpredictable, too stubborn ,too surly, too frustrating, too completely…"

I grit my teeth together. "Too what?"

He met my eyes and for the first time that day I saw the slightest hint of sadness in his gaze. "You're too amazing. You're too **you**." Before I could stop him, he reached out and caught my hand. "C'mere. Lemme show you my latest project."

I pursed my lips and followed. If there was one thing in the world I wanted to do right then it was fight him and tell him exactly how wrong he was. But hadn't he just said exactly what my brothers had been telling me all my life? '_He's right,'_ I thought. '_I made a promise I knew I couldn't keep. I just…I wanted to make him happy.'_ I admitted. '_I still do. Marsu, why do you even put up with me?'_ It was then that I realized with a start that I had met my match. The one person I could not fight. And here I was, pushing him away. I inwardly groaned. '_Eventually he's going to get tired of my games. He'll move on.'_

Marsu released my hand and tossed me a rag. "Wipe off your hands. Oh, and you got a little something right here." He tapped my nose, and for a moment, I completely forgot I was mad at him. Then my sanity returned, and I hid my frown by scrubbing the oil and soot off my face—Marsu merely used the tail of his shirt to wipe off his own. Then he strode over to the furnace and tugged on a leather glove he kept stuffed in his back pocket. "Stand back. This is gonna be hot."

With his glove covered hand, he grabbed the handles of the metal tongs that were once in the fire and with a tug, lifted a red-hot piece of metal out of the flames. In one swift move, he dropped whatever it was in a bucket of water at his side, and stepped back as a cloud of steam erupted. Placing the tongs back into the furnace, he removed the glove and picked up the bucket. He held it out for me to see, and I couldn't resist taking a peek in the water pale. '_Curse my sense of curiosity.'_ I thought.

Inside the pale, still making the water sizzle, was a small metal hoop. The sides were flat, and although the ends did not meet completely, a small length of metal chain connected them. '_Marsu's motto is '_go big or go home'_ The more outrageous the better…why would he make something so small?'_

As if sensing my thoughts, he sighed. "As soon as it cools, it should be ready. It would have been done yesterday, but I wanted it to heat up a little longer so the sides would stretch and bend."

I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

He smirked. "Originally? A fork. And the chain was from an old pair of handcuffs. You won't believe this, but I actually found some silver hubcaps on one of the old rusting trucks outside. I took one off, melted it, and dunked the whole thing."

I raised an eyebrow and squinted into the bucket. "So you wasted how much time making a silver-plated-hoopie-thingie?"

Long fingers pulled my chin up and I found myself staring into a pair of intense dark eyes. "You still don't get it do you? I made the so called 'silver-plated-hoopie-thingie' for **you**, baka."

I didn't bother hiding my surprise—he would be able to tell. "W-why would you do something like that?" Even I was amazed at the slight waver in my voice…it was those damn eyes of his…I just couldn't turn away…

I felt him reach down and seize my wrist, bringing my fingers up between us to eye level. We were so close now; I could feel the heat from his body lacing around me. He reached into the bucket and pulled out the metal hoop, shaking off the extra water. "I know you can't stay here. It's not who you are…but, maybe, if you always had a part of us—a part of **me**, you might realize that you are **never** alone. You don't always have to be so strong. It's ok to depend on someone else once in a while," he whispered.

Slowly, he slid the cuff down my fingers and too my shock, followed its trail with butterfly kisses, leaving me helpless to do anything but watch and **feel**.

All the way down my hand, his lips shadowed the path the hoop traced to my wrist. _'Since when has been my hand been this sensitive?' _my mind whispered. It was the first coherent sentence I had been able to form since the damn baka had started his…antics. When he finally stopped, he had the audacity to press the tips of my fingers to his lips and smirk! His eyes were sparking with pride, as if he had just stolen a secret and locked it away with no key. "This is one game you are **not **going to win, woman. I've made my move. What will yours be?" he asked. Squeezing my fingers, he flicked his gaze downward and back up to me. "By the way, you can let go of my shirt now."

I jumped slightly as I realized my right hand, the one that had not been held captive, had unconsciously fisted itself to the collar of Marsu's shirt, pulling him even closer. I released, and absently noticed how my claws left miniature holes in the fabric. '_Claws…_' I stiffened. '_I'm a hanyou.' _

I raised my eyes and gasped as I realized Marsu's lips were a hair away from mine, his hot breath fanning over my mouth. '_No…'_ Gathering all my strength—not an easy task to do when one is breathless—I did the only thing I could think of and shoved him in the chest.

My eyes automatically shifting to the ground, I turned tail and ran, this time aiding myself with the help of my hanyou speed. "I-I need to go. I'm sorry!" I yelled. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear Marsu calling my name. He may have even been chasing me, I didn't know, I refused to look back. '_How could I have forgotten? I could have cut him with my claws. H-he almost kissed me! If I hadn't pushed him away…if I had let him…my fangs…he would have found out…' _I clenched my fists and ran faster. '_Stupid stupid STUPID! How could I have forgotten what I am? How could I put my family in danger like that? _I looked down at my left wrist and saw the silver hoop shining in the sun. '_For one minute I wasn't a hanyou. I wasn't even human. I wasn't Pup. I was just __**me**__.' _I sighed. _'Never again. If he ever found out,' _I swallowed. _'No. He won't find out. This will never happen again.'_ And with that last thought, I sprinted the rest of the way home, changed back into my fire rat furs, and jumped in the well without looking back.

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**SETAKO'S P.O.V.**

I was waiting by the well when I felt Katana's presence return from the future. The fading blue light of the time slip slithered like silk over my fingers as I reached down to help her out of the hole. Usually, Pup refused any sort of help getting up, but for once she obliged and gripped my hand, allowing me to haul her over the lip of the old well. I smirked. _'There was a time when with one yank I could pull her entire body out of that hole and hold her up, dangling above the ground. Hard to believe she was ever that small.' _

I observed as Pup leaned against the wooden brim for a minute and brushed herself off, the large sleeves of her fire-rat haori swallowing her arms. Even after all those years, she still looked so small compared to the overwhelming folds of cloth that covered her body. For a single moment I could see it—the scrawny little brat that used to beg me for piggy back rides, the seemingly fragile girl-child that could hold her own against six older brothers and melt the heart of a raging hanyou father in minutes. I could see my idiot of a baby sister chasing after the twins with a giant pointy stick because they stole her pocky. I could also see her asleep in bed after a long day of training, looking so peaceful, a little devil in angel's clothing. But just as soon as the visions came, they were gone, and I was once again staring at a full-grown hanyou woman with a hell of a bad temper. '_I want those times back,'_ I thought. _'I want to be Big Brother Tak. I want my sister to be little again. Shrink, damn you woman, SHRINK!'_ I frowned and pivoted on one heel, facing away from her and kneeling.

I could feel her glare on the back of my skull, but bit the inside of my cheek to keep quiet. _'Please, Pup, just do it.'_

"You're joking right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Would you just get on?"

"Despite what you think, I'm a big girl now, Tak. Can tie my own shoes and everything."

"You never wear shoes."

"I am so not in the mood for this! Besides, I haven't done that since I was, what, seven?"

"Pup, c'mon. Just humor me, ok?"

Whatever happened on the other side of the well must have really tried her patience thin, because she finally muttered "I can't believe I'm doing this," and wrapped her arms securely around my neck. I sighed and stood up, my hands gripping the back of her knees to raise her with me. I debated making a joke about her weight and having to lay off the ramen, but decided against it. '_No telling when I'll be able to take care of her again.' _I felt her chin rest itself on my shoulder and one of her ears twitched, tickling my temple. We had fallen into a comfortable silence on the trek out of the forest, so I was surprised when her voice broke through my wandering thoughts.

"So spit it out! What did the intruders want? Papa was talking to them for a while…"

I stiffened. "How much of that did you hear?"

She kicked me lightly in the hip with the heel of her foot. "If I heard anything I wouldn't be asking, now would I? C'mon, Tak, what's going on?" I clamped my mouth shut and stared straight ahead. She wouldn't break my resolve. Not this time. "You said you would tell me everything," she pouted. '_Damn her. Damn damn damn damn damn. I did say that, didn't I?' _I contemplated ignoring her, but then she would know something was wrong, so I pulled an old trick of the twins' and danced around the topic.

"Don't worry about it." To distract her from my vague reply, I shifted the weight of her arms around my neck with one hand. '_Waaiiiiiit a minute…this smells like…' _I raised my eyebrows and twisted my head around. "What the hell happened on the other side of the well, wench?"

Pup shrugged. "Nothing."

I growled lightly and gripped her legs tighter. She was going to try to kick at my next comment, I just knew it. "Then why do your arms **reek **of a **human male?!?"**

Just as I had anticipated, a swift kick to my hipbone was attempted as Pup shifted restlessly to get off my back. "They do not, damn you, now let me down!" she growled.

I let go long enough for her to slide off my back, then spun around and grabbed her wrists. Pup may have been a master at faking a stone face, but even she was immune to natural body impulses—like blushing. It was slight, but a tinge of pink now lined her cheeks and despite the scowl she wore, her eyes remained unfocused, as if she were trying to block out a memory. A giant smirk spread over my face and laughter broke free from the pit of my stomach. "So my baby sister hooked herself a little boyfriend!" I had just enough time to duck as one of her hands broke free and swung a straight punch at my head. "Poor bastard doesn't know what he's gotten himself into!"

"Shut. The fuck. UP and HOLD STILL so I can MAIM YOU!" Katana screamed. Her claws came within an inch of my nose, and I pulled back, releasing her other hand. In a flurry of silver hair and barred fangs, I was thrown on my back as a very angry Pup straddled my waist and grabbed the front of my haori, pulling me forward to look into her eyes, causing me to laugh even harder. "There is **no** boy! And even if there **was, **what the hell makes you think I would **ever tell you?!? **And **stop your Kami-damned laughing!" **She drove her knees up and underneath my ribs, causing the air to rush out of my lungs in a whoosh.

Finally deciding I had had enough of being beaten up, I raised my legs and crossed my ankles behind her shoulder-blades. She cursed as I rolled us over and pinned her down beneath me with my weight. I stared at her for a minute. She was furious and snarling, and I lifted a finger to flick one of her ears. "Me thinks the lady dost protest too much!" I teased. Pup growled and slammed an elbow into the center of my chest.

"You want the truth?" she asked. "Fine. Truth is, I have friends on the other side of the well. Human friends. Believe it or not, it's nice to actually have some contact with the world outside my bloodline, so I would appreciate it if you would **butt the fuck out!"**

"You're allowed to have friends. The problem is when they start rubbing themselves all over you—I even smell him in your hair!" I saw her freeze for a second. That small span of time was just what I needed to pull her up off the ground and toss her over my shoulder like a sack of grain. "Deny it all you want, wench, but if Pops smells this guy, you know as well as I do that he'll hop right down the well, hunt him down, and cut open his belly. We need to wash you off." With that, I headed back into the forest and towards the river, my sister kicking and screaming on my shoulder the entire way.

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After Katana had thoroughly rubbed down her arms, neck, and hair in the river, leaving no trace of the mystery male's close proximity, she stretched out on a rock and stared at the sun shining through the leaves of the surrounding trees. I sat beside her and waited. No sense in getting back home in a hurry…besides, I couldn't hide the truth from her forever.

Father had wanted to come and get Katana from the well, but I had insisted. I was the big brother. It was my responsibility. Father had relented, but not without reminding me about the weight of the situation. "If you go get her, then you're the one who will have to tell her about the war…and what's going to happen," he said.

I hadn't found a good time to tell her yet. '_What am I waiting for?'_ I wondered. _'If I wait until we return to the village, it'll only make things worse. How do I tell her that she's gonna be left behind?'_

"Hey, Tak?" Pup asked. I turned my head to look at her. She had propped herself up on her elbows and was staring straight ahead, wet hair dripping on the stone surface below her. "You—You won't tell will you?" she whispered.

I didn't have to ask what she was referring to. "It's not my place to say anything, Pup. I could care less whom you spend time with in the future. But does anybody else know?"

She winced. "Raidon and Ronin."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"So what's his name?"

She sighed. "His name is Marsu. He's my friend Kiko's older brother. When Kiko's not around, I hang out with him. He's an artist and always coming up with some crazy new project or another."

"Sounds like a pansy to me!"

"It's not like I **like** him or anything! He's just kind of always around. Besides," she looked down, covering her eyes with her bangs. "H-he and Kiko don't just put up with me. They want me around."

I sucked in my breath. '_Now or never.'_ "I'm glad to hear you have people taking care of you on the other side."

She eyed me suspiciously. "Why?"

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, preparing myself for the temper explosion. "Because you're gonna be spending a lot of time over there from now on."

Her eyes narrowed and her fingers clenched into fists. "What are you talking about?"

"Pup…You have an uncle."

"Yes, dearest brother, I have met Souta before. What does he have to do with anything?"

"Not **that **uncle. I'm talking about Father's half-brother, Sesshoumaru. The Inu Taiyoukai Lord of the Western Lands. Katana…our father is part royal."

Jumping up, Pup blocked the sun from my view with a curtain of silver hair. Her golden eye blazed with fury and denial while its violet partner mirrored confusion and the slightest hint of hurt. A warning growl was erupting from her throat, a sure sign of defiance. She was planning to run for it and I knew it. "I want to speak to Papa."

I reached forward and grabbed her arm, pulling myself up in the process. She had to hear this from me. She had to know. "Father's father was a youkai lord. His mother was a human princess. But our grandfather had another son—the one that succeeded in his place." My voice was near screaming level now and I grabbed for Pup's other arm. I didn't care if I sounded panicked. Katana's head was strained away from me, looking towards home; she was struggling so desperately against my hold to run back and block out whatever I had to say. '_I'm sorry, Pup.'_

"Why?! Why are you telling me now? What does any of this matter? Why should I care?!" Pup yelled.

"Sesshoumaru is dead!" I cried. Katana stilled in my arms and her ears pinned to the top of her head, disappearing in her hair. "Sesshoumaru's dead," I repeated. I grabbed her chin and turned her face towards me, forcing her eyes to meet mine. "The Southern Lands murdered him…then declared war."

For the first time in many years I saw real traces of fear lining my sister's eyes. The wheels in her head were turning, and I could see she was fitting all the pieces of the puzzle together. "If this Sesshoumaru was Grandfather's successor," she swallowed. "And Sesshoumaru is dead…who will lead the Western Lands into war?"

I closed my eyes. "The successor must be by blood…"

When I opened my eyes, pup had dropped to her knees. "Papa…" she whispered. "No…"

I knelt down and pulled her into my arms, chin resting on her shoulder. The real blow hadn't even come and Pup's usually unbreakable resolve was slowly cracking inch by inch. She would want to fight, and I'd be damned if I couldn't at least be there for her. It was time she knew. "Papa, Mama, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and the rest of us are leaving to join Sesshoumaru's armies."

I felt Pup suck in a breath. "I'll be ready."

Gripping her a little tighter, I shook my head. "You won't be there."

"What?"

"Father is sending you home to Grandmama. Where you'll be safe. Away from all this. It's the only way, Pup."

I never saw it coming. Somehow, Pup managed to free one arm and swing, scraping her long claws over my left cheek and temple. They may not have been deep wounds, but they bled like crazy. It was just the distraction she needed to liberate herself from my hold and run home at top speed, screaming for (or at, as the case may be) Papa the whole way.

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It took four of us and Father to hold her down. The wench had gone totally ballistic, lashing out at anything and anyone who dare try to restrain her rage. She was fighting a blind battle, her pain and anger fueling the fire we knew would eventually engulf her soul, fists and feet swinging in every direction. In the moment she was no longer a sister or daughter—just silver and red blur screaming like a banshee about how we wouldn't leave her; she wouldn't allow it.

The problem was, Pup was a born warrior, and right now we were the enemy. She was right. We couldn't leave her—not here. She'd hunt us like a dog. She'd find us and heaven help the beating we'd receive. '_We taught her a little _too_ well,' _I thought '_Now if she'd just hold still we could take her home.' _I grimaced at the thought of calling the future 'home'. Finally holding her down, pressing my entire upper body weight onto her left arm as Ronin held the other (her feet were pinned by Notsu and Raidon), I was able to blow in her ear. It may not have stopped her thrashing, but at least it surprised her enough to make her look at me.

"You're right, Pup. If we threw you into battle, you might make it out. Your temper alone could scare off the enemy long before any blood was shed," I frowned, seeing she was growing more impatient with my little rant. "But we will not take that chance. Not ever. Please, Pup. Leave it to Big Brother Tak. Stop fighting and go stay in the future!"

Pup stopped struggling long enough to glare at me. She couldn't turn her head because Father was holding it still on the ground. Her breathing was labored, and I could see her anger was still strong, but I leaned in close to hear her words. "When I get out of here…I'm going to cut off your legs. You wont be Big Brother Tak anymore…you'll be Short Little Tak." With a mighty kick, she managed to dislodge Notsu. With agility I didn't know she had, her foot came around my head to lock my neck in a strangle hold. I gagged, but managed to speak over Father's shouts and curses.

"Once we kill the Southern Lord, you can come home! I promise, we'll do it even if we die trying!"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Katana's body automatically went stiff as a board. Her eyes glowed with deadly promise and she screamed at my face, straining against Father's hold. "IS THAT ALL MEN EVER THINK ABOUT? DYING AND KILLING? KILLING AND PROTECTING ARE NOT THE SAME THING, BROTHER! DYING IS NOT THE SAME AS SACRIFICE! ANY KAMI-DAMN BAKA CAN DIE OR KILL! FIND A REASON TO OVERCOME AND LIVE INSTEAD OF KILL AND BE KILLED!"

"**Enough!"** Kyo, till now absent, had come, a strange plant in hand. Using a lighter (the one real future object he always carried with him), he lit the stem. "Hold your breath—and hold her nose!" he shouted at us. None of us were in any position to argue, so taking a deep breath, we all waited as Notsu pinched Katana's nose.

A full two minutes went by. Finally, Katana opened her mouth and gasped for breath, passing out from the fumes. Mama, who hadn't moved from her seat in the kitchen, continued to cry silently.

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**INUYASHA'S P.O.V.**

I was sitting on the bed in Kagome's old room, now Katana's, cradling my daughter like a child. She still hadn't awoken from the sleep-drug-plant-thing that Kyo had put her under, and I was sure she would stay in dreamland for another few hours, if not longer. Still…I couldn't find the will to let her go.

I needed to leave. If she woke up and asked me to stay, I knew it would be my undoing. I could never deny my daughter anything for long, and the thought of leaving her behind, maybe to never see her again was slowly killing me inside. I looked out the window at the Goshinboku and grimmenced. '_How many times did I come through that window to drag Kagome back down the well? Now the only time I seem to use it is to bring Katana back. When did my life become so ironic?'_

When Kagome had first become my mate, I had let her decide which time she wished to live in. Sure, the well was open and we could travel from one to the other whenever we wanted, but we needed a **home.** Something permanent. Something that would last…and she had chosen the past. When Tama was born, I was so sure we had made the wrong choice. There were so many things in modern day that I could never give any of my children in the Feudal Era. Maybe that was why I spoiled Katana every chance I got…maybe that's why I would send her down the well when I couldn't deal with her. I wanted more for her.

But Pup had always had her own ideas of what would make her happy. I smiled softly, and sniffed her hair. The wind. She always smelled like the wind. Free and untamed.

' _Forgive me, Pup. I love you…'_ I gently laid her down on the bed and kissed her forehead, ruffling her messy bangs. '_Stay safe.'_ Jumping on the windowledge, I risked one last glance at my youngest and only girl. My mirror-image. My sanity. My hope. My strength. My purpose. Just like her mother. Just like me. '_Keep an eye on the sky, Pup.' _With a great leap, I ran towards the well without looking back.

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**MIROKU'S P.O.V.**

"Inuyasha, I really don't think—"

"Do it, monk." His back was turned to me, standing in the shadows of the forest trees. The sun had just set, and it was impossible to see anything clearly in the faded light. I shook my head. '_He forgets I've known him too long.'_ Inuyasha's stance may have been strong, his face may have been hidden, and his threats may have been great. But his voice did not lie. Somewhere in the depths of his heart, this was going to kill him.

I had been putting my youngest to bed when the back of my robe was grabbed roughly and I was half-dragged, half- carried to the old well by one angry hanyou. When we arrived, Inuyasha had placed several wooden planks across the opening and shoved me toward it, demanding I seal it with my ofuda.

To say I was surprised was a tremendous understatement.

When I inquired (none too politely) as to the reason for this madness, he grabbed the front of my robes and lifted me off my feet. "I'm protecting my daughter. Now seal it."

I sighed, and began again. "From what Kagome has told me, there are dangers in the future as well. Katana has six brothers—they would never let anything happen to her, Inuyasha. I'm sure if you step back and look at this rationally—"

Silver hair smacked my face as Inuyasha whipped his head around to face me. For the first time that night I was able to see his eyes, and he was more enraged than I had seen him in many years. "Have you ever met my daughter?!?"

I swallowed and nodded, transfixed by his glare. My old friend was in so much pain, and there was nothing I could do.

"If I took her with us, Miroku, she'd die,' he whispered. 'You know she'd die." His hand touched the hilt of the Tenseiga that now lay at his side next to Tetsusaiga. "It's one thing to push her away. It's another to lose her forever."

I narrowed my eyes and gripped the lip of the well in anticipation of the hit. "And yet you are willing to take that risk with your other children."

"My sons care about whether they live or die! They know the responsibilities that they still have to achieve, and they'll be careful with their lives! Pup wouldn't care! I know my daughter! She'd throw herself into every battle, at every opportunity just so someone else may have a better fighting chance! She wouldn't care!"

My eyes flicked to Tenseiga. "The reason Pup doesn't know the responsibilities she holds is because you've made the decision to take them away from her before she knew she had them!"

The growl that erupted from Inuyasha's throat was one I had only ever heard before he attacked and killed something he considered prey. "Don't you **dare** try to tell me how to raise my Pup, monk."

"You're lying to yourself." I was surprised by my own gall, but I couldn't stop now. He needed to hear this. "You're not afraid because she can't lead or fight. You're not even afraid she'd die, because you know she wouldn't. She's too stubborn, just like you." I stepped forward and poked him in the chest. "You're afraid because you know she'd survive. You're afraid because she actually **could** lead the Western Lands. You're not concerned with whether or not she cares about herself. You're scared because she cares **too much** about **other people.** If she does survive, she'd be the new Lady of the Western Lands." I sneered. "You'd rather have your baby die in battle than know she lives…but won't stay within your reach."

In one swift move, Inuyasha had me bent backwards against the lip of the well, fingers clasped around my throat. Only one golden eye could be seen through his mess of bangs, but I could tell he was within an inch of murder. His fangs bared, I could barely hear what he was saying over his growl. "The only reason you aren't dead right now, Monk, is because I need you to seal that well. Now do it or you'll have to explain to Sango why you can't produce any more children."

He released me, and I gasped for air. Lifting some ofuda from the folds of my sleeves, I sent up a silent prayer to Buddah and Kami and every other god I could think of at the time that one day, Katana would forgive me. "Very well, old friend. But just so you know. **This. Is. Wrong**."

**KATANA'S P.O.V.**

'_Uuuuuurrrrrrgggg. I…want….druuuugggsss……..' _Waking up, the first thing I noticed was the extreme throbbing behind my eyes and how I couldn't smell anything around me. The only thing that existed was the memory of that kami-awful sprig-stink, my movements becoming slow and heavy, gasping for breath…then nothing. What was going on?

The sun had set, fading the sky to a deep velvet blue. Papa and I would lie on the roof on nights like this, looking at the stars and arguing about one thing or another. '_Papa….'_ In a rush everything came flooding back to me. Running from Marsu. Riding on Tak's back. The war. Papa's inheritance. The fight. Being drugged. Leaving me here…

I was at my windowsill so fast the frame split—but something stopped me just as I was about to jump out into the cool air. '_Papa knows I'll just hop back down the well. Why would he go to so much trouble to drop me off at Grandmama's if he knows I'll just…find my…way…back…oh no.' _A chill ran down my spine and my blood ran cold. '_No. Not the well…he would _never_..' _But somewhere in the back of my mind I knew he had.

In less than half a second I was at the lip of the old well, flinging myself over the edge without slowing down. My feet hit the ground much too quickly, the ground coming up hard to meet me. I felt my stomach drop. Somewhere deep in my chest, my heart cracked wide open, bleeding long and thick. No blue light. No open sky. No fresh air. No brothers. No Mama, no Papa.

From the back of my throat a canine howl broke free, and I cried long and loud.

The well had been sealed.

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**SOUTA'S P.O.V**

I sighed as I carried my one and only niece into the house, cradled against my chest like a child. She was covered in dirt, exhausted to the point of unconsciousness, her fingers and knuckles bleeding and raw.

When my mother had called during class, I knew something was wrong—she knew better than to interrupt me while I was teaching. She had heard an animalistic noise erupting from the wellhouse, and run in to find Katana digging like mad at the inside of the well. She hadn't responded to any pleas or commands to stop, and, as my mother described it, it seemed as though she had gone completely insane. Unsure of what else to do, Mama had locked the door and waited impatiently outside for me to arrive.

When I got to the shrine, Mama nearly threw a fit. I could hear the snarling through the old wooden doors. Unlocking them, I looked down into the well and saw Katana on her hands and knees scooping and throwing dirt out of the well as fast and as hard as she could. When she wasn't growling or cursing, she was speaking in broken sentences—"won't work!" and "can't leave me!" and "impossible!" When I reached for her, she spun around and bit me. Yes, bit me. Perhaps it was the taste of flesh, or the sight of my face, or just the fact that she wasn't digging anymore, but all of a sudden she released my hand and collapsed in a heap on the dirt floor of the well.

What was I supposed to do, leave her? '_It's alright,' _I thought. '_Just jump in, travel 500 years into the past, get out, jump back in, travel 500 years to the present, and get her out of there.' _But of course it wasn't that simple. I hadn't tried to travel through the well since I was a child, though with Inuyasha's purifying wish, I knew I could. The past was Kagome's place—not mine. But looking at my strong niece lying there, filthy, crumpled, **broken**, I knew I had to take the jump. So gathering my courage and holding my breath, I leapt off the lip and into the darkness below.

Imagine my shock when I landed none-too-gently next to my fainted niece. My mind rushed and suddenly it all made sense. '_The well…sealed…she can't get through…' _I fought down the bile that rose in my throat when I got a better look at Katana's condition. Several of her claws were gone—torn off and left sticking in the wall of the well. There was blood dripping down her palms and cuts lined her knuckles. '_She was trying to fight the magic,'_ I realized. '_As if force of will alone could stop the clock and set time backwards. She really is just like Inuyasha. Baka girl.' _So I gathered her up and took her inside, my mother trailing behind me wringing her hands.

"Put her on the couch. We can move her upstairs after I've bandaged her hands. Get the first aid kit. It's up in the closet in her room." Mama said.

After years of witnessing Inuyasha coming home with giant gaping injuries, I knew not to ask any questions when Mama went into 'heal the hanyou' mode. So I placed my niece as carefully as possible on the couch, gently moving her hands to rest across her waist so they wouldn't bump anything, and sprinted up the stairs.

Usually Mama was really good at keeping things in order…however, Katana was not. So when I opened the closet to find the first aid kit I found myself buried under about ten years of packed crap that fell on my head. I spit out a string of swear words—a habit unbroken from my Inuyasha-worshiping-days, and proceeded to dig my way out of the giant mountain of forgotten necessities.

As I was pushing a rather fluffy gorilla plushie out of my face, I heard a noise behind me that I thought for certain I would never hear again—the sound of a window being forced open from the outside. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding as a wave of relief washed over me. Inuyasha had come back. The well hadn't been sealed. Everything was back to normal.

"Inuyasha!" I called. "You're allowed to use the front door, ya know. How did you fix the well?"

"Um…who's Inuyasha?"

I finally managed to pull myself out of the junk heap and froze. On the windowsill sat none other than a thoroughly confused looking Marsu.

'_Brilliant. Just. Fucking. _**Perfect.'** I thought. '_How are you gonna get yourself out of this one, Einstein?' _Lucky for me, the situation was not entirely unfamiliar. I had covered for Kagome numerous times in the past, so it was only a matter of seconds before my years of lying experience came into practice. "No one. Just an old friend who liked to come through the window. Speaking of which, I should arrest you for breaking and entering. Does my niece know about your weird stalker habits?"

The sun had set, leaving the room in an eerie blue-gray glow. In the rapidly fading light I was able to decipher the barest hint of pink lining Marsu's cheeks. "I…I needed to see Katana."

"And you couldn't conform to normality and use the front door?" I shook a worn T-shirt off of my shoe and watched as Marsu started picking up the random fallen objects sprawled around the room. I grabbed the first aid kit and bent down to help him out—and also to get a look at the idiot who dared to get involved with our family. I had met the boy before on several occasions, but we had never actually had a real conversation, and I wasn't sure I was comfortable to do so. '_Doesn't matter,'_ I thought _'I have to keep him up here or get rid of him. If he sees Katana he'll ask about her hands, and Kami knows none of us are ready for that yet.'_

"I would have, but Katana isn't a normal woman," Marsu noted. "Besides, if she knew I was coming she would have run. She…she won't return my calls. I haven't seen her since…I needed to talk to her."

"Yeah, well you're wasting your time. She's not here."

"Then who's the first aid kit for?"

'_Shit. This kid is good.'_ "Never you mind. Look, it's getting late, you're here illegally in my mother's house, and I have somewhere to be. You can exit the way you came." I turned to leave, thought the better of it, and threw one more piece of advice over my shoulder. "Listen, dude, I know you like Katana, and I admire your guts, but if I were you, I'd bolt right now and not look back. Go home, forget about us and stop trying to look for answers. You won't like what you find."

Turning once more to exit the room, I stopped. '_What the _hell? _He's—Is he _laughing?!?'

Sure enough, the baka was sitting on the edge of the bed, bent forward, one hand clasped over his eyes and forehead, laughing like a fool. "You don't get it, do you?" he asked after regaining composure. "I'm in too deep. I'm sick of all the secrets and the disappearing acts. I want to meet her dad. I want to see these brothers of hers and I want to watch as the lecher she always talks about gets slapped by his wife. I want to be a part of it—Kiko does too. We have too many questions and not enough answers, so if no one's going to tell us, we'll find out for ourselves."

For the first time I really and truly looked at the boy. I knew his story—he practically raised his sister on his own, originally a promising businessman that gave up his practice to do what he loved, and according to Katana, never even flinched to help someone who needed him. He was an artist through and through; the ink, oil and paint smudges on his face and hands proved that much. It also proved he had patience and an eye for details—tributes completely lost in my niece. Perhaps that was why he could handle her so easily. Not the simplest task in the world. And if breaking into her room showed anything, it proved his will and head were as hard and stubborn as anyone else's in our family. Still, the question repeated itself in my head over and over—Could he handle it?

"Are you sure?" I asked. "That girl is more protected than the Crown Jewels of England. Seems like an awful lot of effort for someone who keeps running away from you."

"See that's just it," Marsu smirked. "I've figured it out. I really don't think she's running **away** from anything or anyone. I think she's running **to** something, and I want to know what."

I wanted to smack him, but couldn't bring myself to do so. '_After all, he's right.' _I thought. _'He's so right.'_ Just as I opened my mouth to retort, a loud crash echoed through the window. Marsu and I looked at each other, then fled to see what had happened.

The doors of the well house had been flung open with enough force to splinter the wood, and I could hear Mama running outside screaming. "Katana!" she yelled, "Katana get back here! What do you think you're doing?!"

I spun around ready to sprint down the stairs to the well when I got a look at Marsu's face. Frozen in shock, the baka had a white knuckle grip on the windowsill, his hands shaking. From outside Mama screamed and I ran to the window again to see what happened. From inside the well house, a white light exploded out, causing both Marsu and me to cover our eyes. When we were sure it had subsided, we listened again.

All was still.

Whatever spell Marsu had been under before was broken, and he flung himself out the window and into the tree, climbing down and sprinting towards the old well. I decided to take the stairs.

By the time I arrived at the destroyed wooden doors, both Mama and Marsu were inside, looking down into the black hole of the well. Mama was crying and shaking, leaning on Marsu's arm for support. "She's gone," she whispered. "She was reading the letter from Kiko, and suddenly just jumped up and ran out of the house. Her hands weren't healed yet, but I couldn't stop her…then there was a light, and…and…she made it through…s-she looked so lost…"

I didn't wait to hear more. I flung myself over the lip and into the dark hole below, but met only dirt beneath my feet. "It's still sealed!" I called. "How the hell did she open it again?" A lump rested in my throat. '_My surly and often violent hanyou niece is on a raging rampage somewhere 500 years in the past…and there's no way to follow her. This. Is. Bad.' _Another thought formed itself in my brain and I groaned. '_What will Inuyasha do when he finds out she's not here?'_ To be honest, I knew what he would do. The question was more of would I still be alive at the end of it.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" I looked up to see Marsu rubbing small circles on my mother's back, comforting her as best he could. His messy bangs were covering his eyes, and he was slowly inching away from the well as if it would come to life and bite him. "Where is she? What does this stupid hole have to do with it?" He moved to allow me room to climb out of the well, then held my mother out at arms length. Looking into her eyes, I watched as he set his jaw and raised his chin. '_How many times have I watched Katana do that?'_

"No more secrets. No more lies. Where did you're granddaughter go?" he whispered.

I straightened my back and shoved myself between him and my mother. "This is none of your business. Why do you want to know?"

Marsu looked down and crossed his arms. "The year Kiko and I spent without Katana was one of the loneliest we'd ever known. We couldn't figure out why for the longest time." He grimmanced. "I painted her. In every work I did, I saw her face, and I wanted…" he swallowed. "I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to hear her voice. Kiko needs her too—she tells Katana everything. I know how independent Katana is. I know she's strong, but like nothing else I crave being with her…and letting her know she doesn't have to do everything by herself." Marsu raised his eyes and touched Mama's hand. "I lost her once. I'm not going to lose her again. Now tell me what is going on."

Somewhere in the middle of Marsu's speech, Mama had stopped crying. She looked at Marsu, then me, and slowly the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile. "It's a long story." She said. "So I suggest we all go in and have a cup of tea."

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**KATANA'S P.O.V**

I awoke to the bubbling of boiling water. Flat on my back, my hands screaming in pain, I struggled to sit up again. I could hear Grandmama shuffling around, probably looking for gauze and rubbing alcohol. '_The well…'_ I thought. '_I don't care if I rip my own hands off in the process, I'll dig myself to the Feudal Era if I have to! Nobody locks me here and gets away with it!' _

I sneaked across the floor as quietly as I could and firmly grasped the doorknob to run outside to the well. '_Grandmama's so worried about having the right stuff to take care of me that she won't even notice if—'_

"**HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, MISSY. ** Just where do you think **you **are going?"

I flinched, my ears swiveling back to acknowledge my Grandmother's voice. '_Busted.'_ I slowly turned around to see Grandmama standing with her hands on her hips, one eyebrow raised while clutching a bag of cotton balls. '_She only ever calls me '_missy'_ when she's _really _pissed.'_

"Um…I needed some fresh air?"

"How dare you try to sneak out of here! Look at yourself! You're filthy, your hands are in shreds, and Kami knows you are out of your mind!" She stalked over to me and picked up one of my limp hands. "Why would you do this to yourself?"

A growl ripped free from my throat. "Ask the man I call Father."

"Do not even start with that! We can discuss everything in time, but for now we have to get you healed. Sit your tail back on the couch and—"

I held up a finger and signaled her to stop talking. '_My window is opening? What the hell is Uncle Souta doing up there?' _I stood on tiptoes straining to hear any more sounds coming from my room. My nose went into overdrive, and for once I prayed to every deity I knew that it was wrong. '_No. What is _**he** _doing here? Marsu, you ass, why can't you just leave me alone for once!'_

I must have been growling because Grandmama dropped my hand in alarm. "What is it?"

"Someone who doesn't know when to give up." I gently shoved her out of the way, intent on stomping upstairs and serving Marsu a piece of my mind to choke on, when something was thrust into my hands.

"Before you go and start another fight, maybe you should read this. Kiko left it for you, remember?" The look in Grandmama's eyes told me she knew exactly who was upstairs talking to Uncle Souta, and didn't want me to cause trouble. I looked down at the orange envelope in my hands, unsealed but covered in star stickers with my name scribbled across the front in Kiko's messy handwriting. '_I guess I should read it. Marsu's bound to make his way down here eventually anyway.' _Making my way back to the couch, I flipped open the flap of the envelope and proceeded to read Kiko's note.

_Dearest Katana_

_Gone again. What am I ever going to do with you? Always running and searching for something that, quite honestly, I don't think you're ever going to find. I know you love your secrets, so I won't ask any questions; still, I can't help but wonder what you are trying to prove. Why do you have to bear all your burdens alone, love? _

_Do you remember the first time we met? I can still picture those guys' faces—after a few kicks from you they were so scared they pissed in their pants! And you, my guardian angel appeared in a fury of silver to save the day. You protected me, pushed me out of the way, you took me home and by some twisted turn of events became my dearest friend. We've never really talked about what happened, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't ask myself what would have happened if you hadn't come. You were there, as you always are, at the last possible second swinging in to take on someone else's problems and beating them to a bloody pulp. But don't you ever wonder who will be around to save you?_

_You've told us about your family—I can barely deal with one brother, I don't want to know what it's like to have six. And you're right, you don't __**need**__ saving. But is it really so bad to have someone care for you so much they __**want**__ to take care of you? Don't you ever get tired of fighting? _

_Neither Marsu or I have any intention of protecting you—not that you would let us. We're not like your father. We will never try to hide you from the world—we want to experience the world with you, at your side, so we can see what you see through your eyes and your heart. What is it gonna take for you to let us be the type of friend to you that you always are to us? Shouldn't we be allowed that responsibility? Do I need to tie you down and MAKE you listen? I will if I have to. Don't quite know how, but I'll find a way. I swear I will. _

_Now I know you won't accept anything I'm saying. Even now you're probably gripping this note, sighing in exasperation, rolling your eyes and wishing I would get on with the point. Don't give me that look, I know you are. So instead of asking you to resist your instincts and let us—YOUR FRIENDS—take on some of the strain in your life, I'm gonna ask you to do one more thing FOR us. _

_Fight hard and strong. Run away again if that's what you feel you need to do, find something to protect, and fight for it. Don't let anything stand in your way—not your family, not time, not even yourself. Fight till you're so exhausted you can't stand, and then, and only then, come back. Let us take care of you. We'll be waiting.  
_

_Muchest and most crazy love_

_Kiko _

_P.S. I wrote this note on the back of one of Marsu's old drawings. I think you'll find it very interesting…_

My hands were shaking as I flipped the letter over. I couldn't say I was surprised at the picture, but it was definitely not what I expected.

Drawn in charcoal chalks, a rough self-portrait of Marsu's profile stared back at me. I could see his entire body, from his beanie-clad head down to the black combat boots on his feet and everything in between—including how his arms were linked behind him cradling a sleeping image of me riding on his back. I recognized my face immediately. But the expression was what threw me off.

I was calm. Marsu had drawn me in ripped jeans, a giant baggy T-shirt, only one shoe on, hair an absolute disaster underneath a backwards baseball cap, my cheek on his shoulder, a random band-aid stretched over the bridge of my nose, mouth slightly open and drooling a little…but I looked like I couldn't be happier. I was safe. And exactly where I wanted to be.

As for Marsu's own expression? He stood firm and tall, arms strong and high, lifting me up on his back as if he could carry the weight forever, a satisfied smirk twisting along his lips. The only problem with his profile were his eyes—shifted to look back at me. And the look in those eyes was one I couldn't even begin to describe…warm…content…intense…possessive…all summed up in one emotion that I quickly denied the existence of. It wasn't there. It couldn't be.

Marsu's classic artist's signature was in the bottom corner, along with a single, solitary word: _Fearless._

Guilt. Joy. Rage. Sorrow. Confusion. Clarity. Helplessness. Strength. Love…Denial. A torrent of emotions raged through me in an untamed storm, causing my knees to buckle and my head to spin. It was too much. The picture, the letter, getting trapped here, the war, the secrets, the lies, the fear of relying on someone—anyone. The hope that if I took on someone else's problems, I wouldn't have to face my own. The thoughts that plagued my mind—would I ever see my father or brothers again? Would Mama, with all her miko powers, be able to reclaim the fire she had as a fifteen year old shard hunter? Would Kiko ever forgive me? Would Marsu ever understand? Too much…

I don't remember moving, could barely register my Grandmama's sharp cries. Calling on my hanyou strength, I threw open the well-house doors and clambered inside, throwing myself over the wooden lip.

I didn't know what I was expecting. The well was as cold, unforgiving, and dead as when I last tried it with no indication that it would be or had ever been a magical portal to a completely different time. I dropped to my knees and pounded the hard earth with my fists, ignoring the damage the effort was doing to my already torn hands.

A strange cross between a sob and a snarl broke free of my throat and I bent down to press my nose to the ground, silver bangs falling over my eyes. "Please," I whispered. "For years you brought my father and mother together. But this isn't about them; it's about me." I swallowed and dug my claws into the palms of my hands, drawing blood. I pressed the flat of my palm to the soil and took a deep breath. "I swear. If you let me through, it will not be in vain. I'll stop the war. I'll make peace with my brothers. I'll heal my father. And if I don't it's because I'm dead. I love this world…but my life and my home are in the past. Do you understand?!" Somewhere in the corners of my mind I registered that I was acting like a crazy person, talking to an old abandoned well, but I didn't care. My voice gained strength, my shoulders shook with the emotion coursing through me, and erupting from my heart was a strange heat that I hadn't felt in years, seeping down through my heavy limbs and into the ground through my blood. "I know I screw up. I know I let people down. But I swear…this time I'll do something right. But first you have to _**LET ME THROUGH!!!"**_

The heat in my veins burst into a flaming inferno and I screamed long and loud, a powerful white light seeping through my hands to fill the well in essence and warmth. I was falling, whether falling down or up or sideways I did not know, the world was turned upside down and I felt as if I was being ripped apart from my body. I couldn't tell if I was flying or falling, dying or living in euphoria. It didn't matter. I did not belong to myself anymore.

Then the vertigo disappeared, just as suddenly as it had started. I fell hard on my back against something that felt like stone, my eyes screwed tightly shut, the fire in my blood slowly residing. My senses returned, going into overdrive and everything seemed overpowering. The cooing of owls was louder. The rich smell of woodsmoke seemed stronger. The soil beneath my hands felt softer. The taste of pure air was sweeter.

Gathering what little courage I had left, I counted to ten and cracked open one eye. The overwhelming vision of the starry night sky stared back at me, daring me to question where I was or why. '_I…I did it…I'm home.'_

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A/N: BAHAHAHA so Katana finally made it home, huh? Now…there's a war to stop….how the hell is she going to do that?!? And what about Marsu? Ooo I am so devilish with my cliffies!!! Thanks to all who have stuck with the story so far, hope you have enjoyed this extra long chapter! Please READ AND REVIEW!!! IT TAKES 5 SECONDS!!! Till next time!


	8. Past and Present Collide

A/N: YES, YES THS STORY STILL LIVES!!! As well as the author! Thanks so much for the encouraging reviews! The story is going to get a bit more complicated from here on out, so be sure to pay attention! That's about all on this end, remember to R&R after reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Dammit.

Talking

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

**Emphasized text**

_**Flashback**_

**KAGOME'S P.O.V.**

"Kagome—"

"I don't want to hear it, Inuyasha!" I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and jogged ahead, my boys parting like the Red Sea to get out of my way. They knew better than to mess with me when I was in one of my moods. Even Sango and Miroku stepped back, my old girlfriend holding her Hirakotsu high, a clear threat to a certain hanyou to back off. Only Kyo stayed by my side, unperturbed by my outburst.

Miroku and Sango had left their children with Kaede back in the village, promising to come home soon. Shippo did his best to cheer them up with his many trickster pranks, but the children had always been annoyingly perceptive and grounded for their young statures. I looked at Amaya, their oldest. She had just turned eleven and had taken an immediate interest in whatever Kaede was saying, accepting her place as the first child and therefore responsible for the rest.

Seeing her there so obedient and so…so…goody-goody made me picture my own rebellious daughter, completely unlike anything I had pictured in a girl of my own. Thinking of my youngest made me want to sit my mate into oblivion. '_How dare he separate me from my baby. How __**dare **__he.'_ But even as I contemplated strangling my koishii, I knew somewhere deep in my gut that he was punishing himself much more harshly than I ever could. Leaving Katana at my mother's was like capturing a bird, then setting its cage next to an open window. So close to freedom…but nowhere near being liberated.

My daughter. Ruler of all the Western Lands…trapped and hurting five hundred years away from everything that she loved.

'_Some mother I turned out to be.' _I inwardly winced.

Inuyasha and I had always worked at raising our sons as a team. They may have had his striking features, but for the most part, there was a good chunk of 'Kagome-sensibility' in them that I secretly took pride in…relished, actually. Each of our boys had grown to be an exotic but wonderful balance of their father and of me—with the exception of the twins, who strangely enough turned out to be warped, demented, versions of Shippo…only about a thousand times worse. Well, more like if Shippo and Tim Burton had children. Yeah, those would be my adorable twins.

But somewhere in the fray, I seemed to have lost my hold on Katana's upbringing. '_She's so much like Inuyasha that I…I just let him take the reins while raising her.' _The first five times I became a mother, Inuyasha wasted no time waking me up in the middle of the night if the baby (or babies during the twins' infancy) started cooing so that their high-pitched screams and cries would never have to reach his ears and disturb his own rare stream of sleep. However, now that I was thinking about it, I never once had to wake up for Katana. More than once I would sneak into the kitchen for a midnight snack to find my mate awake and pacing gently, holding a baby Pup against his chest and rocking her. It made tears come to my eyes to remember the soft words and promises he whispered to her, and how he kept clutching her tiny form long after she had fallen back asleep.

Flashes of the wonderful woman Pup had grown to be rolled across my mind's eye, so headstrong and passionate. '_There was a time when I was like that too…'_

Risking a glance back at my mate, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from giggling. His eyes were looking straight down at his feet, his bottom lip sticking out in his infamous pout and the tips of his furry little ears were drooping. '_Aw, crap. Don't think about his ears…don't think about his ears…resist…dammit! That's cheating! He knows I love those ears!' _My fingers itched to bury themselves in his thick bangs and rub the base of the furry appendages till he purred. I knew the urge well—I felt it every second of every day since I was fifteen, after all.

'_Fifteen. Was I ever that young?'_ I had given up so much and gained so much more since then. The battle with Naraku had been disastrous and terrible, as I had always known it would be. But to me, the real challenge and my true fight had always been within myself. I had once been strong enough to travel in and out of everywhere and nowhere, following a surly, rude, violent, wonderful hanyou in order to face full-on danger and possible (or probable) death. '_Hell, I didn't have a choice __**but**__ to be strong.'_

And all because I loved him.

'_I have no regrets…I'd do it all again. I'm not fifteen anymore, and I accept that…but where is the spark I used to have?' _I looked at Inuyasha and for a moment I felt a twinge of fear. '_Does he miss that fire? When he looks at our daughter, when he sees her passion—does he ever wish I was a bit more like that? Does _he _wish I was fifteen again?'_

In the time it took me to blink, I found myself engulfed in a throw of fire-rat red as my mate threw his haori over my head. "I won't carry or forgive you if you catch cold, Wench." Inuyasha muttered as he fell in line with my stride. Apparently he had finally gotten sick of my silent treatment.

"Inuyasha," I wasn't sure how to ask. But I had to know. "We're always saying Katana is just like you. Do you ever—I mean, do you think she's at all like me? Or, at least how I used to be?"

He gave me the look he always shot my way when he thought I was being stupid. "What are you talking about, Wench?"

"Have I changed since any of the kids were born?" At his startled gaze I bit the inside of my cheek. I hadn't meant to just blurt that out. "Sorry…I guess I'm just tired."

"What do you mean 'have you changed'?"

By this time we had fallen behind most of the group, and I had a feeling he preferred it that way. I didn't want to fight with him, though. With Katana gone, the last thing I needed was to have the one I loved most upset with me--which I guess made it all the more unfair that I had been so upset with him earlier that evening.

"It's just…I'm not fifteen anymore, Inuyasha. A-and some men, when their mates hit a certain age…start wishing that those mates were different."

Inuyasha's gaze hardened. "Different how?"

Years of practice had taught me to choose my words carefully when he was in this type of mood. "Like how they used to be. Before they became mated."

Stepping in front of me so that he was completely blocking my path, Inuyasha grasped my shoulders and forced me to look into his eyes. Somewhere beyond the fury that reflected back at me I recognized other emotions: confusion, hurt, stubbornness, denial, and most of all, love.

"Shut the fuck up. I don't know where you're going with this shit talk, Kagome, and I don't care. I never once had any regrets about mating you, and I never will."

"You're not understanding. Inuyasha look at what we're doing! Running off into the middle of nowhere to fight a war! Doesn't that sound a tad familiar to you? It's the exact same thing we use to do all the time when the Shikon was broken. You still have your hanyou abilities, so trekking around doesn't mean much to you, but believe it or not I'm not a teenage girl anymore!" I stopped and took a breath, my shoulders sagging underneath the weight of his hands. "What if I'm not as strong as I used to be? Katana has so much fire…I used to have that…what happened to me? What if I can't do this anymore?"

A kiss on the forehead caught me by surprise. "So you're taking a risk. What do you have to lose?"

"My self-respect. Dignity. Pride. Not to mention one more prank from the twins and I'll start sprouting white hairs."

My mate chuckled low in his throat and pulled me into a loose embrace. '_Oh, sure. Now that the rest of the group is too far away to see, he decides to get all mushy. Why did I have to mate a guy who's such a…a….GUY?'_

"Kagome, you'll never lose any of that."

"How would you know?" I asked, my voice muffled by his inner haori. '_After all this time he still smells like the forest.'_

"Because every morning I wake up next to you, and I wonder how you'll screw up my life today, and how lucky I am that you do. I know because I know you."

"You can never just let a romantic moment lie, can you?"

"We've got bigger problems, Wench."

He pulled me close one last time, then spun around and tossed me on his back so that we could catch up with our pack.

I loved my hanyou, I really and truly did.

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**MARSU'S P.O.V.**

'_I hate awkward silences,'_ I thought. Clutching my teacup a little tighter, I concentrated on counting the number of crushed leaves that had sunk to the bottom. After the incident at the well, Souta's mother suggested that we migrate inside and discuss things over a drink. Forty five minutes later, I still knew nothing. '_It figures. Apparently everyone in this family is as stubborn as Katana.'_

Just when I thought I might explode from the pressure, Mrs. Higurashi stood and walked to the bookshelf across the room. From behind a row of old books, she pulled a long, thick photo album and dusted off the leather cover. Her face changed as she looked at the old thing, as if she were staring at something a thousand times more precious than I would ever know. The sadness behind her eyes startled me, and I wondered exactly what I was getting myself into.

Opening the album, Mrs. Higurashi gently flipped through the pages with practiced ease, stopping to remove a specific picture and stare at it for a moment. Clutching the book to her chest, she passed the photograph to Souta, who looked at it, whistled softly, and passed it to me while averting his eyes.

I glanced at the photo and looked back up at Katana's Grandmother. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, Mrs. Higurashi, but so what? I know what your granddaughter looks like…"

Hidden fury flashed for an instant across the aged woman's face. "You surprise me, Marsu, after all you are an artist. I would think you'd know to look for details. Use your eyes. Look again."

'_Ouch. Grandmama's harsh.' _Still, I retrained my gaze back to the picture in my hand. It was a close up on a strong face, sharp angled and striking out from a blur of silver-white hair. A trademark smirk was plastered in place and a pair of costume dog-ears were peaking out of the top of the head. But what I noticed this time startled me. '_Both eyes…gold…'_

Apparently my face changed as I stared more closely, because the next thing I knew was Mrs. Higurashi's finger tapping the picture from over my shoulder. "This," she said quietly "is Inuyasha. Katana's father."

Turning, there was an earnestness in her gaze that unsettled me. '_It's not possible. Nobody can look that much like one of their parents…' _But the more I studied the photograph, the more I realized that she was telling the truth. This "Inuyasha" may have looked exactly like his daughter (with the exception of her one violet eye)…but there was something missing. An understanding and fire that only shown through Katana's eyes…the fire I always saw when I looked at her…"Her father?"

Souta got up from his chair and pulled the album from his mother's grasp. Flipping through it, he pinched out another picture and placed it in front of me. "Is that enough to satisfy you?"

I gently laid the image of Inuyasha down and picked up the one lying on the table. Two golden eyes stared back at me….Inuyasha, holding a silver-haired toddler in one arm. I could only see the child's profile, but it was enough—her one violet eye gleamed at me. She clutched to her father's t-shirt like a lifeline, leaning her cheek on his shoulder. There were two others in the photo as well—a girl with black hair and striking brown eyes and a young boy, scarcely older than the toddler with long dark locks and dull golden eyes. As if sensing my question ahead of time, Mrs. Higurashi leaned over and pointed at the boy. "Notsu. One of Katana's brothers. And this," her finger trailed to the young woman "is my daughter, Kagome. Katana's mother."

I nodded mutely and continued to stare when a disturbing detail caught my eye. "What's with the dog ears? Your daughter is the only one without them in here…some sort of weird festival costume or something?"

Mrs. Higurashi sighed and glanced at her son, like she was unsure of how to answer. Souta reclaimed his seat next to me and kicked his feet onto the tabletop, folding his arms casually behind his head. "Those are real." He muttered.

"Real as in authentic?"

Souta glared at me, amused and impatient at the same time. "No, real as in real. As in stuck to their heads. As in that's how they hear." I must have looked startled because he unfolded an arm and gently thumped me upside the head. "Think about it, kid. Have you ever seen Katana without a hat or bandana or hood or something covering her scalp?"

I opened my mouth to protest…but nothing came out. Images flashed across my mind of the young girl. Joking with my sister, throwing paintballs at me, climbing our fire-escape, and a thousand more. In every single one, there was always something covering the top of her head…'_hell, I've drawn her a million times! And in every one of _those_ she's had something on her noggin!'_

A dark chuckle roused me from my thoughts. Souta leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "If that's the part that startles you, then we've got a long night ahead of us."

I glanced back at the picture of Katana and her family. Her ears. Her brother. Her parents. The damn well that had somehow taken her away from me. Anger swelled in my heart, causing my patience to waver. '_Too many damn secrets. It is time I know the truth' _"You two have some explaining to do," I said eyeing Mrs. Higurashi and her son. "Start from the beginning."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled slowly, bitterly at me and tenderly placed the photo album on the table. When she began to speak, her voice was nothing but a whisper. "Marsu, have you ever heard the legend of the miko and the Shikon no Tama?"

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**KATANA'S P.O.V.**

The slow embrace of the night breeze swirled around me, and I savored the moment by taking deep gulps of clear air. The leaves of Goshinboku rustled and tickled my cheeks. I knew I had to leave—and quickly—but I could not resist the pull of the old tree…just to stand in its shadow one last time. Kneeling before its trunk, I pressed my forehead softly to its roots. A stupid, pointless gesture, perhaps, bowing before a tree like a fool. But this was the one place in the world that had always brought me peace…and I knew that after tonight I would not feel peace for a long time—if ever again. I owed that damn tree something.

Standing, I reached up and plucked a large leaf from its branches and gently tied it into my hair. _'A piece of home,'_ I thought.

Closing my eyes, I turned till I was facing the path home. Opening my sight to the road before me, I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin. I made sure to measure my steps carefully…one slow foot in front of the other…and I refused to look back…

8888888888

In a frenzy, I searched the house for things I would need…painkillers, food, bandages—'_LOTS of bandages…'—_matches, and anything that could possibly be used as a weapon. Sadly enough, when the rest of my family had left on their journey, they had nearly cleaned the place out of anything that could have been remotely useful in a long quest. My mother had always been a bit of a packrat.

Still, what I did find I gathered and stuffed into my deerskin bag. As I searched my closet and drawers for plainer changes of clothes I came across a few sportsbras Grandmama had bought me. They, too, were tossed with my belongings. '_If nothing else I can shred them into bandages when I run low.'_ When I had packed everything I possibly could find, I looked in my bag and grimaced. '_Shit. None of this will last me a week…'_

Had I simply been running away, I wouldn't have given my supplies much thought. I had a pretty good track record of surviving on air and will alone. '_But this isn't like the other times,'_ I thought. '_I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm not a little girl anymore. And this time,"_ I swallowed. '_This time I'm __**completely**__ alone. No brothers, no mother, no father…I may never see this place again…'_ I shook my head to clear my brain. I couldn't just rush into battle unprepared this time. I had to be smart…I had to use all I had…'_Kaede's. I have to go to Kaede's…DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAAAAAMMMMMNNN!!!!!!'_

This was a detour I had not planned on making. If anything, all I wanted to do was grab my stuff and run, to where and to whom I had no idea, but seeing the old woman again was definitely not on my list of things to do.

Gritting my teeth, I swooped my bag over my shoulder and bounded out the door. No sense trying to get around it and no sense wasting any more time.

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I could hear Kaede snoring long before I entered the little hut. '_Fast asleep. Good. She wakes up and I'm dead.' _Years of practice of seeing in the dark had trained my eyes to adjust quickly, allowing my movements to be stealthy enough to please a ninja. Still, that old woman could be plenty scary when she wanted to be, and I had no intention of trying her patience by distracting her slumber. '_Just get the stuff you need and leave, you idiot!'_

Folding back the bamboomat covering the doorway, I padded carefully into the old hut and carefully knelt next to the supplies cabinets. "Needles…string…gauze, leather…" One by one, they all piled into my bag. '_Stealing from an old lady. I have officially hit rock bottom…but I really don't have a choice.' _My hand brushed against a small stone knife, cutting my knuckle. I grabbed the offending instrument and buried it deep in my pouch. '_This is the only weapon I'll take from her…Kaede may be a hag, but I will not deny her protection…she needs her spare weapons more than I do.' _Closing the cabinet, I laid a hand gently on the top of my bag to measure its contents and felt something strange bulging on top of all the other items. '_A plant? How did this get here?'_

"Don't forget numbing shrubs."

"HOLY FUCKING CHIPMUNK YOUKAI—AMAYA! What are you doing here?!?" My head snapped around to see Miroku and Sango's oldest child casually staring at me, holding a bundle of dried leaves in my face. Once glance at Kaede reassured me that she had not been woken by my outburst, but my heart refused to slow down thanks to the surprise of my little friend.

"You couldn't smell me?"

"I have a lot of things on my mind, brat. Now answer me—What are you doing here?"

"Mama and Papa left with your mama and papa and company to go fight bad guys. They told me to keep Toyojin, Kannon, and Mikomi safe here. Besides," her eyes narrowed. "I thought **you** were the one sealed on the other side of the well."

"Yeah, well I came back."

"How? Inuyasha boarded the hole and Papa sealed it—"

"I don't know how, ok, I just did!" I snatched the bundle from her hand and stuffed it into my pack. "Why are you giving me these, anyway?"

"Because I'm coming with you."

"HA! No you're not!"

"Then I'll wake Kaede. And she'll purify you!"

I sighed and blew my bangs out of my eyes. "You can't come with me, kid."

I watched as her nose wrinkled and her eyelashes spiked with tears. The scent of salt wafted passed my nose, and I had to grit my teeth in order to ignore it. "But if I'm not there," she whispered "who will protect you?"

Anger flashed for a moment across my heart, but quickly dissolved into a quiet pain. "It is not your place to protect me." I laid my hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face the spare room where I knew her siblings were dozing…now that I was thinking clearly I could smell them…"We all have something to protect, pup. Your father has your mother, Kaede has you, and you have your brothers and sister. It's a heavy burden, but you've always been a strong girl. Don't throw that away on a baka like me."

"But I don't want you to go!" she spun around and grabbed fistfuls of my haori. "Who will remind you who you are if everyone thinks you're someone you're not? Who else can tell you apart from Uncle Inuyasha?"

Gently tugging her hands off my clothes, I gathered her in a loose and awkward embrace. "Don't worry about who others think I am. Just remember who you are. Stay hidden, listen to Kaede, keep the other brats safe. Can you do that for me?" Pulling away, I nudged her toward her bed. "Now go back to sleep. You should not be snooping around here anyway."

"Neither should ye."

'_DAMN IT!!!' _I sighed and slowly turned around. Kaede had awoken, leaning on her elbow in bed and drumming her fingers on her cheek. The look on her face was one I had not seen in years…but in its intensity was all too familiar. "Hello, hag."

"What is it ye mother would say? Oh yes—Busted."

I growled. "This is my home too, old woman."

Kaede removed her sheets and stretched her tired old muscles. "Amaya, get back to bed, child. I need to speak with Katana alone." She gave me a pointed glare and I knew I was in for it.

'

Apparently Amaya saw the look. She tugged on my hakama. "Want me to stay? I've been alone with Kaede before." She shuddered. "I know what it's like."

Kaede shot her a look of her own. "Amaya. BED. NOW."

I watched as she scampered off to her room, obviously not wanting to push the old miko's luck when my pack was yanked from my arm. "Hey! What are you doing?"

Kaede opened my bag and shook her head. "Stealing from an old woman. Ye really have hit rock bottom."

I shrugged. "At least I remembered the numbing herbs?"

She shot me a stare that said she was clearly unamused and flipped my pouch over, spilling its contents on the floor. "I should purify ye for this. If ye were one of your brothers I would have!" She paused and sighed. "Then again, if ye were one of your brothers ye wouldn't be here. Ye would have stayed on the other side of the well—where ye belong! How did ye even get past Miroku's ofuda, child?"

"Just lucky, I guess," I muttered as I knelt to gather my spilled supplies.

"Katana—"

"Fine! Fine. I freaked, ok? When I found out the well was sealed, I panicked and tried to dig my way through." I showed her my mangled hands, already healing but still worn. "When that didn't work, I asked it to unlock itself, a weird heat traveled through my fingers, and the next thing I knew I was spinning and falling and crashing onto a heap of broken wood planks and dirt."

About halfway through my explanation, Kaede started to look concerned—surprised; nearly shocked. '_I don't see what the problem is. Who cares how I got here. The point is I'm back and have a job to finish.'_

"A heat, ye say?"

"Uh…sure."

"What do ye mean?"

"A heat—like fire coursing through my veins…there was a bright light…and I fell. What's that got to do with anything?"

Kaede placed a withered hand to her brow. "It has everything to do with anything." Dropping my bag, she strode over to her bedroll and sat down. "I should have seen this coming."

By this time I was concerned. Kaede had changed in a mere instant from a kick-ass grandma into an old, tired, lady. "Seen what? Please, hag, just let me go."

"Has this ever happened before?"

"What?"

"This feeling ye had—the fire. Was this the first time?"

I contemplated lying. What was I supposed to say? Yes, I was disobeying my parents and got myself in trouble with a spider youkai, I thought I was going to die before a strange feeling seeped down my arm and incinerated the demon's brain? But when I looked at Kaede, I knew I couldn't do it. '_After I leave this may be the last time I'll ever see her. I can't lie.'_ Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pinned my ears to the back of my scalp. "No. Once before. Long ago."

For a long moment, she said nothing. Finally, she got up and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You should have told me then."

I tensed. "It didn't seem important."

"Stand here a moment, child." She hobbled over beyond her bed and fiddled with something I couldn't see. "Now. Catch." With lightning speed an old women of two-hundred and sixty three years should not have, the hag threw an ofuda at me like a dart, her miko energy zimming in the air.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" I cried and stretched my arm out, palm extended to block the electric shock I knew was coming. To my surprise and horror, however, the ofuda hit my hand dead on and fell to the floor, useless, as a warm hum blanketed my palm. No pain, no shock…but what really spooked me was the way my fingers were glowing white with a dim light that stretched down to my wrist.

"Well done…young miko." Kaede whispered.

I couldn't speak. '_What the fuck is going on? How is this possible?' _I lifted my eyes to Kaede and found I had something to say after all. "You could have purified me! I know it's a foreign concept to you humans, but that really hurts, ya know! And what do you mean 'miko?!?'"

Kaede rolled her eyes. "I mean ye have a spiritual gift, apparently only present when ye are in danger or great distress. And keep your voice down. There are children in the next room."

I fisted my hand and concentrated on the pressure of my claws against my flesh. "I can't be a miko…youkai are not holy creatures—"

"Aye, but humans are. And as ye have always said, ye are demon and human. Ye know both."

"So…what does this mean?"

Kaede bent down and snatched my bag. "It means ye start packing. Dawn will be here soon."

My ears perked up. "You're…letting me go?"

She paused. "Power like yours I have not seen before. It is miko, to be sure, but it is wild and strong. Even if I wanted to, I could never teach ye how to use it. Ye need to find out on ye own what you're made of."

I dumped the supplies back in my pack, and before I lost my nerve, embraced the old woman. "Thank you." I whispered. Pushing the doormat aside, I took one last look back at the old hut, lifted a foot to step outside and—

"Before ye leave, child. One last thing."

'_Sooooooooo close!' _"What?" I whined.

She handed me a folded piece of paper. "It's a map to the weapons smith, Totosai. I suggest ye see him before anything else. Where you're going, you're going to need more than a stone knife and numbing plants. Mention ye father. They have quite a past."

I nodded and stuffed the map in my haori. One last look around the stuffy wooden hut, and with a great leap I was outside in the open air.

I would not return for a very long time.

8888888888

**NOTSU'S P.O.V**

I had just finished setting up my sleeping bag the way I like it—dirt free—when my brave, talented, and intelligent older brother, Tak swooped in out of nowhere and dove under the covers, making a human-sized lump under the fabric. I peeled back a corner of the zipper and found too silver dog ears wildly twitching back at me.

"Save me!" he whispered. "I've been working out with the twins for three hours now—all they can talk about is the battle! If I have to hear them sing 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' ONE MORE TIME—"

"You've got it easy. I was bathing and they started to serenade me with 'I Feel Like A Woman'. Now get out of my bed, I'm exhausted."

"How does she do it?" his head popped out of the bag's opening, but he fisted the material to his chest so I couldn't undo the zipper and throw him out. Honestly, there were times I believed Tak to be no older than a toddler. "Pup deals with this type of terrible, twisted, twin-torture all the time—how does she do it?!?"

I shrugged. "The same way Mama deals with Father I guess. And vice versa." Yanking the sleeping bag out of his hands, I flipped the zipper all the way down and rolled him none-too-gently out onto the ground. "Go sleep in a tree."

"You would leave your own brother to fend for himself against them?" He pointed beyond the fire where I could just make out two identical shapes strutting towards the light.

"Yep."

"What have I ever done to you?" he groaned.

I smirked and threw out my ace card. "I'm the youngest brother, remember? I had to watch Pup more carefully than any of you all the while I was growing up—and there were times she was worse than the twins. I cleaned up her messes, I kept her secrets, I covered her ass more often than any of you older ones. Add to that the times I got my ass kicked for no good reason by you and your stupid 'brother initiation band' and I think you'll find that you, baka-Tak, are the one who owes ME."

In the blink of an eye, he was up and in my face. "True…But guess what little bro? I'm still bigger than you." With quick hands I couldn't even begin to follow, he grabbed the sleeping bag out of my hand and shoved me—hard. I fell on my ass. With a casual flick of his wrist, Tak threw my make-shift bag over my head. "You miss her, don't you?"

I shifted and straightened out my bed—again, this time opening it up and curling inside it. Had I been knocked by the twins or Tama or even Kyo, I would have fought back and made them pay. But I understood Tak's restlessness; usually if he were in a mood like this, he would pick on Pup and she would give him a good beating. Since she wasn't here, he was choosing the next best option—namely me. And I just didn't feel like humoring his stupidity. Not right now. "I miss her distracting you so I could get some peace and quiet, dumbass."

Unphased, Tak popped down next to me, causing dust to rise and settle all over my sleeping bag. "Think she's doin ok?"

I sighed and sat up, throwing him a purely annoyed glance. "She's fine. She's with Grandmama. How much trouble could she possibly get into? Don't answer that."

His bottom lip quivered and his ears drooped. "But with her gone, who'll read me a story before bedtime?"

"That's it!" Fisting my left hand, I swung at him.

He jumped up and started kicking me threw the sleeping bag. "Up and at 'em, Sunshine! Time to make good ol' Tak some grub!"

I threw back my bedding and punched again, this time making contact with his jaw. For the next few minutes, all we did was brawl. Tak was a lot stronger than me, faster too, and taller. But I was a lot more precise, I had studied the human body more than he had and knew just where to hit in order to double him over. Finally, it was over, I had a bloody nose, and he had some major bruises on his chest and shoulder. Breathless, I managed to say one last thing. "Yeah. I miss her."

"Me too. That's why we gotta take care of each other. If we get hurt, who'll knock some sense into her when we get back?"

I nodded. He turned and with a great leap, took to the trees for some sleep or lack there of. Tak was like our father in that he never slept much. He was often too busy worrying about someone other than himself to care much about his own health. '_Selfish bastard.'_

Stretching, I pinched my nose and straightened the bones out. By the time I we were ready to go later on, it should be perfectly normal again. Lifting the flap to my sleeping bag I climbed into bed. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I stretched my leg to the tip of my bag…and felt something with my foot.

Something warm. Something large-ish. Something breathing.

"KYO!" I yelled and dove under the cover to retrieve my balled-up, sleeping brother. '_Stupid bastard stole my bed while Tak and I were fighting!' _Unfortunately, if there was one deep sleeper in my family, Kyo was it. Tiny man had curled up in the very foot of my sleeping bag like a little puppy for warmth. A civil war could be bursting around him, and he'd still just roll over and sleep it off. Still for good measure, I kicked his face. My foot came back with drool on the heel.

"That's what it means to be family, bro." Raidon called from across the fire. He looked at Ronin and they both snickered. "Loving your brother dearly, and wanting to wring his neck at the same damn time."

8888888888

**TAMAHOME'S P.O.V.**

"I'll ask you one more time," I growled "What exactly did Sesshoumaru say about my sister?"

Kiotusu rolled his eyes. "I have no information to give you, hanyou. And even if I did, it is not my place or in my conscience to betray my lord and tell you what he obviously did not want you to know."

"Bull shit. Sesshoumaru had never even met Katana—she didn't even know she had an uncle on my father's side! How could he possibly leave everything under her control? When I am the one that has been faithful to him all these years? There must have been some mistake!"

"That is not exactly true."

I turned to face the intruder. "This is none of your concern, Rin. You are not the lord's confidante anymore. The only reason I allow you to stay is because Sesshoumaru would have wished it."

Her gaze turned icy. "I never did like you, Tamahome. Your sister, even with all her vulgar language, was at the very least a kind soul."

"And what would you possibly know of her?"

"If you must know, I had the pleasure of meeting her once. She was very young and had gotten lost in the forest."

My voice momentarily froze in my throat. '_Another one of Pup's secrets, I suppose. Father's gonna love this.' _"That sounds like the little imp. So what happened? You pointed her in the right direction and sent her on her way?"

Rin paused. "No," she said quietly. "She saved my life."

'_Ok…was not expecting that at all…'_ I rubbed the bridge of my nose and motioned for Kiotusu to leave the room. When we were in private, I motioned for Rin to sit down. "Now," I said. "Start from the beginning."

8888888888

**KAEDE'S P.O.V.**

Watching Katana's retreating back, I couldn't help the long sigh that escaped my lips. '_Well I'm awake now. Might as well make myself useful.'_ Tip-toeing my way across the floor, I opened the door leading to the spare room where the children were sleeping. The babe was sleeping soundly in her clothbasket, cooing gently in the night. Meanwhile, the three older ones were sprawled over the bead, sheets askew, one halfway-upside down off the edge, the other kicking slightly in his sleep. Unfortunately his foot seemed to be in Amaya's face. She didn't seem to mind though, as long as with every kick her brother made, her elbow ricocheted to stab their other brother in the stomach. As a result, this poor child (hanging upside down) produced a half snore, half groan in a beat pattern. '_Precious little things.' _I thought. '_They sleep just like Kyo does. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought they were dead.' _Taking another glance, I shrugged. '_Then again, not even the dead are that peaceful. I wonder if sibling sleeping arrangements at Inuyasha's house were ever this…charming.'_

Closing the door, I chuckled. More than once, I would awake to find Notsu, Tamahome or even Setako on rare occasions spread grandly all over my floor. They would complain that there was not enough room at their parents' but I knew better. If that were truly the case, they could simply sleep on the roof or out in one of the trees—with the exception of Notsu, of course. He had inherited his mother's love of an actual bed.

No, they came and slept here because they wanted to protect me. Or make sure I did not die. Whichever.

'_How can children with Kagome's intelligence still manage to inherit Inuyasha's stupidity? If I die, I die knowing I should have died long ago!' _I reached for a stool and plucked down some herbs from the drying rack on the ceiling. '_Still I suppose, it's comforting to have them care.' _When Inuyasha and the others would go shard hunting, I would sit and wonder when the next time I would see them would be…and if all would come back in one piece. Usually not the case with a certain stubborn hanyou.

The villagers were always kind, and the children always willing to help lend a hand to an old woman. But having others depend on me all the time was in truth a bit tiring. It would have been a change to have someone around for me to depend on as well. That's why I was still alive after all—people still needed me.

Then it happened.

Tamahome was born. After that, children by Inuyasha or Miroku became an epidemic.

Suddenly the villagers no longer needed me to purify or defeat a rouge demon—one of the hanyous was bound to take care of it. I never ran out of herbs or plants for my mixtures, and therefore no longer needed to go traipsing around the forest—Amaya or her brothers would find them for me in record time. Slowly, bit by bit, my usefulness ran its course.

'_I'm old. And I'm tired. For the first time in many years, I do not fear for the safety of my people,' _Glancing at the door where Katana had sprinted out several minutes before, I shook my head. '_Yet here I am babysitting four little ones. And worrying about the other seven. Thirteen if you count Shippo and Kilala.' _My hands stilled from plucking petals. '_I've become dependent on their presence. One of them at least. What if they really do never come back?'_

Disturbing.

"It's not for me to decide. In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to keep living. Forever." I said to myself. '_Those fools better come back alive. If only so that I may finally die! In peace!' _I put down my herbs and looked out the window at the night sky. '_I will hold on till you return,'_ I promised them. '_I have not asked for many things in my simple life. But Kami, I ask you this; let me see my children and my children's children once more before I leave this earth. I deserve that much.' _

Abandoning my work for the pull of my bed once more, I lifted the covers. "Oh, and another thing," I muttered to whatever god or deity listening. "Katana is alone for the first time in her life. If she dies before I do, I will haunt the heavens and hells and personally make your lives miserable for all eternity."

8888888888

**KATANA'S P.O.V.**

"I hate Mondays," I muttered.

I had never been good with directions. Could I find my way by scent and sight? Yes. But following a map was ridiculous to me. It showed one path, one way to take, and if detoured from that route, the follower would be lost and destroyed forever. '_So confining.'_ I thought. '_This Totosai had better be worth it.'_

The scent of a youkai wafted to my nose. "So not in the mood for this," I growled. "Better just kill it quick."

I saw its form up ahead, a square, lazy looking shape. Flexing my claws I raised my arm to slash it from a distance when—

I caught the sound of the fire attack too late. Burns, all over my face and arms, exploding in mild pain, scorching the ends of my hair and the tips of my ears. I knelt to the ground mid-attack and covered myself as best I could with the sleeves of my haori. '_Shit. What's causing this?'_

"Inuyahsha!"

The shout startled me and I perked my ears. Glancing at the palms of my hands, I lifted an eyebrow. The burns weren't as serious as I thought—surface-set, at best. They'd be healed by tomorrow. '_If he had really wanted to hurt me, he would have.'_

"Inuyasha! What did my poor creature ever do to deserve such treatment?"

Lowering my sleeve, I observed my attacker. '_An old man with a staff and bugeyes. Peachy. Juuuust peachy.' _I growled. "Who are you, bastard? And how do you know my father?"

The old man rubbed the back of his neck, a look of utter confusion marred his features. "Eh? Are you not he?"

"Look again, genius!" I pointed to my violet eye.

"Who are you, then?"

"I asked you first." By this time, the youkai I had tried to attack earlier had come nearer. A cow. I had lost a battle to a cow. '_A cow with three eyes, but still!'_

"Asked me what?"

"Who you are!"

"After all this time you do not know?"

"I'm not my father—we've never met!"

"Then why attack me?"

"I didn't attack you, I attacked the heifer! And YOU attacked ME!"

"Did I?"

"**Yes!**"

"Why would I attack you, Inuyasha? Though you probably deserved it…"

I growled and pulled myself to my feet, towering over the old man. "**I am NOT MY FATHER!"**

He glared at me for a moment and I honestly considered bolting. '_This old geezer isn't worth my time.'_

"A girl!" he whispered. "You are not Inuyasha!"

I could feel the vein above my right eye throbbing. "Nope."

"B-but you look—"

"I know how I look! My brothers have reminded me of it every day of my life!"

"If you are truly Inuyasha's child, how is it we have never met?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!?"

The old man crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels, as if inspecting me. "Over time, I have met each of Inuyasha's sons. I made their weapons, just as I made his—and even _his_ father's."

My brain slowed to a crawl. '_Kami, you have got to be fucking kidding me!' _"You? You are the smith, Totosai?"

He nodded and clicked his tongue. "What are you called?"

I gritted my teeth. This man was a smith. If anything, my name alone would prove just who my father was…'_Only the great Inuyasha would name his daughter after a sword…' _"Katana."

"I won't make you a weapon until I know your name."

"That IS my name."

Totosai tilted his head, then reached over to grab my sleeve gently. "You had better come with me."

8888888888

Inside Totosai's cave, I couldn't help but wonder just what I was getting myself into. All my life I had wished for a weapon made just for me, like all my brothers had gotten. Now that I had the opportunity, was I ready for it? What if I was in over my head?

"You have a strange aura, girl." Totosai said, offering me a cup filled to the brim with sake.

"Really? Fascinating," I rolled my eyes. " Tell me all about it."

"Very well. You are restless, like your father. You seem concerned with this world, but for all your worrying, there is something holding you back from your true potential—probably some connection to your mother's world. Am I close?"

I raised my arm to splash the sake in his face and demand that that was beside the point when I felt it. Sliding on my wrist…Marsu's gift. The silver hoop. '_something holding you back…a connection to your mother's world…' _I stopped and snapped my mouth shut. Sitting as still as possible, I stuck out my chin and waited.

The old man gazed at me wonderingly. "I see. I'm correct. Other than that, there seems to be a raw power lying in wait in your soul. It reminds me of…"

I drilled my claws on my knee and took a sip of sake, hating the way it burned my tongue. "I have a mission to accomplish, old man, so if you have something to say, say it quickly."

"A mission?" I nodded. Totosai's old eyes flashed in acute recognition and impish demeanor. "You have no idea where you're headed, do you?"

I could feel my temper rising, so I clutched my cup harder between my claws. "That is beside the point!"

"I suppose you'll look for your family. Do you know what you'll do once you find them?" I shrugged as the vein in my temple throbbed. Totosai stroked his beard. "Or perhaps the question," he asked quietly. "Is what **they **will do when they find **you."**

"Enough!" I jumped to my feet and grabbed my bag. "Shut the hell up, you old fool! I can guess where my pack is headed— Sesshoumaru's palace. I'm not interested in finding them. I just want to stop this war before any more blood is spilled!"

Totosai grasped his staff, but otherwise appeared unperturbed by my outburst. "Your father fought—and does fight—for those he loves. From what your brothers have said of you, you are just like him. And yet you would fight not for those you know and love, but for those you have never met and would probably rather kill you than look at you?"

I gritted my teeth. "My family is stubborn. Especially my father. If there was a war, they would fight and there would be no stopping them. But if I can stop the war before it starts, I can save my pack and whomever else."

"Why are you so adamant about this?"

I don't remember thinking. I don't remember breathing or reacting in any way—the words just flowed out of my mouth. "Because I am all; and nothing in between. If my halves fight, everything will die…" Heat began to creep in behind my eyes, down my neck and shoulders, through to my fingertips. It wasn't a furious burning in my veins as the other times, but rather a slow and even throb, like a heartbeat, like a breath. "I refuse to let anyone die because of what they are." The muscles in my fingers twitched. My back straightened, my shoulders tightened. Warmth enveloped my senses and for a moment, all I could hear was my own tempered breathing, its pulse giving rise and releasing all inside me that was not good, pure or peaceful.

The sound of a loud snap brought me out of my trance. Totosai stood, transfixed, tapping his staff on the ground. "I will not make you a weapon." He said quietly. Turning on his heel, he retreated to the far side of the cave, the darkness keeping him from my sight.

Had I been my mother's child, I would have had the sense to be patient or ask for an explanation. Unfortunately, I was my father's child—and Inuyasha never gives up without a fight.

"You bloody yellow-bellied fucking coward!" I cried. "Maybe you don't understand that I'm not **asking—**"

"Shut your yap, girl, and stop glowing so bright. You're hurting my eyes." He snapped.

I looked down at my hand to see my fingers and arm shining like a lantern, the light bouncing brightly off the silver of my claws. "Fucking miko powers. Stop messing with my dramatic monologue!" I growled.

Totosai's head popped out of the darkness and he sighed. "You need to learn to control your emotions—at least those that trigger your spiritual powers. Look at me!" He barked. I raised my eyes to his own to see he was being completely serious. "If you don't, you'll kill someone. And it won't be those opposing you."

My nose scrunched, completely perplexed. "Kaede's known me since I was born, and even she was surprised I have miko powers. She called it 'wild magic' or something like that. I'm still in shock. Why aren't you more freaked out about me glowing and stuff?"

"Because," Totosai's head retreated into the shadows once more. "I have seen it before."

Before I could demand any answers, I heard the clash and bang of random objects hitting the floor—probably being thrown in any one direction. I ducked as a clay pot nearly skimmed my head. Growing up in a house full of men, I had learned very quickly that anything, even the smallest object, thrown with enough force could cause serious damage. Our family food-fights were incredible. I cursed and stamped my foot to get his attention. Then, as soon as the clamor had begun, it stopped.

"I will not make you a weapon," Totosai whispered from the darkness. "because I already have what you need." He emerged, carrying with him a long, oddly shaped package wrapped in oiled leather and skins. He held it as if it were a child, something precious and too breakable to touch. Extending his hands, he offered me the burden. With great care I accepted, sinking to my knees to unveil its secrets.

Carefully unfolding the cloth, I was assaulted by the smell of age, metal, and old blood, cleaned away long ago. Keeping to my task, a great blade was slowly revealed—but none like I had ever seen before. It was 'S' shaped, both ends guarded by giant curved metal blades, still sharp and deadly. Its handle (the middle section of the weapon) was made of gold with an ancient script I couldn't read emblazed on its surface. From tip to tip standing, it was nearly as tall as I was. '_I would not want to be on the wrong end of this thing,'_ I thought.

"Only you can touch it, one else." Totosai said gently. "Not even your mother or father."

"W-why me?" I hadn't meant to stutter. I was still in shock of the absolute wonder lying in my lap.

Totosai cleared his throat and clicked his tongue. "It possesses miko energy, but is made from a demon's fang," he explained. "No demon or human without possessing both can touch it without serious consequences."

"And how would you know?"

The old man clicked his tongue and leaned heavily on his staff. "I made it…long ago. For a miko."

"And why are you giving it to me?"

"Because it's made from Inuyahsa's fang!" he exclaimed. "I pulled it from your father when he was just an infant."

I nearly dropped the weapon. I wasn't sure whether or not to be honored or disgusted. So I took the middle route and chose fury. I growled low and mean in my chest and looked the old man right in the eye. "The woman you made it for—how could she use it if she was not demon? Don't you dare lie to me, old man."

"It is true, she was human. But she was **connected** to a demon," he took a long breath "and your father. Through them she found the strength and ability to wield it."

"One last question—and if I don't like what I hear, I swear I'll kill you—who was she?" I had to know. I had always hated hearing about my father's past, but if there was some secret he had been hiding all these years, I had to know. '_I deserve to know…'_

Totosai leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "Her name was Princess Izayoi. Inuyasha's mother. Your grandmother. Rightful ruler of Musashi." His eyes snapped open. "She lives in you."


End file.
